What Matters to you? | CHERYL WEBER
Milestone Matter!
Anniversaries, birthdays and milestones are an important time in our lives to take stock and be thankful.
Life often doesn’t follow our plan. But when we look at it through the lens of God’s kindness, we see His thread through our lives. It always amazes me that we can only understand the painful seasons of our lives when we look back. We recognize that it was awful. When we apply a faith lens, we can also see that God can bring hope out of the worst situations. Character development, forgiveness, faith and inspiration for others are just a few things I’ve experienced. The one constant has been the presence and kindness of God. I don’t know how I would have survived without it.
Recently, Crossroads has celebrated some amazing milestones. Achieving sixty years as a ministry! And forty-five years for the longest running daily talk show in Canada, “100 Huntley Street“. I think back to that young David Mainse following the prompting of the Holy Spirit to pioneer faith on television.
If only he could have looked ahead to see the longevity of this outreach to Canada! I’m sure it would have provided immense comfort in the times when it seemed like we would not be able to keep going as a ministry due to financial constraints.
As a team member here for almost 30 years myself, I’ve seen the faithfulness of God undergird this ministry. Even in the face of what seemed like impossible odds. God loves a good story, but the pressure we live through as we await His provision and rescue can be tough!
Of course, the re-telling is always amazing, and over time, we often forget the shaking our hearts and faith experienced as we looked at impossible situations. But that’s why reflection is so important. We need to remember that God did indeed part the Red Sea, even as the Egyptians seemed to have cornered us. Indeed, that’s how we face the new challenges that arise – by remembering His faithfulness in the past.
It’s one of the things I so admire about Jewish culture. Their feasts are times of remembrances of the goodness of God. It’s part of their calendar. They don’t have to wait for the big milestones – every year, they take time to remember and thank God for all He’s done for them. Might this be a practice we should emulate? I find vacations are one of the times where I reflect on my life. As I stop the busyness, I invite God into the conversation and ask Him to show me His perspective. Then I see my life in an entirely new light. Many times, it shifts me from worry or concern into hope and vision. Those conversations with God are the bedrock of my life. The quiet words that follow that question usually surprise me and completely change how I view things. I revisit them many times over the months and years that follow, to remind myself that my view of things is extremely limited. God sees the big picture.
We’ve also reached a huge milestone for our humanitarian work: 40 years of advocating and serving the suffering around the world. Crossroads Cares has provided 45 million dollars in aid to over 40 countries. How can we even measure the impact of those numbers on individual lives? I always say we’ll never know the answer to that question until we get to heaven. But what a day that will be! We all have the immense honour of partnering with God in His heart for the world. If you’ve ever given to Crossroads or prayed for this ministry, then you are part of both that impact and reward. That Crossroads has reached these incredible milestones speaks loudly of His heart for this nation and the world.
As you spend time with family and friends, I encourage you to take your own moments of reflection and ask yourself: how has God strengthened and helped me over the years of my life? Where can I see His hand in all of it? And how does that fortify me for what I’m facing today? Taking time to ask those questions – and writing down your answers – will be an incredible gift to you in the days and years to come.
