Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16, KJV)
Sometimes "light shining" requires a little flexibility and a lot of trust. Yesterday's letter from Shane Stanford to his congregation at CUMC bore witness to that truth. After many weeks (44 ?) of treatment at Mayo, Shane said the results were disappointing. But....he concluded his letter with the Matthew 5:13-16 exhortation.
Pastor Stanford knows what it's like to live an upside down, inside out version of life. He's dealt with an HIV-positive lifestyle since age 16. He, as all of us, had a choice to make both then and now.
Even at that young age and through his seminary years, Shane knew he had a choice: he could feel sorry for himself, or he could live as faith-fully and boldly as possible. Choosing how to live out that grace would be the key to making his life matter. (Positive Life)
Was this most recent diagnosis what he had hoped for? Certainly not. But God....through Shane will continue to achieve His best plan for both the Sanford's and their large church family. For Shane, the new plan will be very similar to the old plan. "I plan to continue leaning on the only real source of strength I have ever known—Jesus." is how Sanford puts it.
"More importantly," he states, "I believe that God has only begun to use this journey for His Glory!"
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| Note the sheep which is still right-side up. |
Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be "bent out of shape," even when their world seems to have been turned upside-down. Not a beatitude...but at "tea-attitude" of flexibili-TEA.
