Welcome
to our third edition of the SHINE Newsletter.
Boy am I ready for Spring, how about you? Hope you enjoy this edition of the
newsletter. Feel free to email me with
any thoughts or questions at graham_cracker490@yahoo.com Marla
Graham
SHINE 2006
Are
you ready for another incredible conference?
We
are gearing up already for this year.
Mark your calendars for
SHINE
SURVIVOR '06
A thought...
We would love
to spread our
wings a bit in
2006 by doing
2 identical
conferences; one in Kewanee and then another one somewhere further away. Maybe
Legacy 
By
Marla Graham
Boy, what a week it has been here at the Graham
house. I hesitate to say that it
couldn’t get much worse because whenever I say that it usually does, but I
can’t imagine what worse would look like at this point. The struggle has been with my children and it
is a long story but the bottom line is that it has been a struggle with
obedience and that rebellious nature we all seem to have. In this particular struggle it has been a
matter of submitting to those in authority (teachers) when that authority is
not necessarily just and at the very least makes no sense to a nine year old.
As
a mom I struggle with the haunting question of, “Where did I go wrong?”
whenever my kids make these choices. I
worry because I want to live a legacy for my kids that leads them to walk with
Christ all of their days. I am sad when they are willfully disobedient to
authority, no matter what the circumstances.
Then there is this other part of me that is mad that my kids are being
treated unjustly and makes me want to cry out for their rights, to defend them
to the death if need be. Let’s face it
this submission stuff is tough for me to swallow as an adult so no wonder my
nine year old is struggling!
It makes
me think of that game, “Follow the Leader.”
You know the game where one person is the leader and everyone else does
what he or she leads them in doing. Well
in the game there can only be one leader and of course everyone wants to be the
leader. Sure I don’t mind being the
follower for awhile as long as the promise of being the leader is ahead of
me. And how often have we seen a group
of kids playing this game and then someone grows tired and wants to stop? Who is that person? Well it is almost always someone who has
already had his or her turn at leading and is tired of following. Isn’t that how it is in life? I don’t mind following some rules as long as
I know that somewhere there is a place or a time when I can lead, where others
will follow me.
This
submitting thing is a struggle even as an adult. Especially if we are in a situation where we
feel those in authority are being unjust.
Maybe someone else got the promotion we deserved, or we get stuck with
more than our share of the housework, there are countless examples I am sure
and even as you read this you may be thinking of your own situation. We live in a society with mottos like “Look
out for #1” and “If you don’t look out for who will.” We are all so individualistic that we don’t
want to follow anyone, we want only to lead.
But I would like to make a scary suggestion. Could it be true that if we never learn how
to follow we will never be able to truly lead?
Now
before you roll your eyes at me please read on!
Let’s think about Jesus for a minute.
At the time of His birth the Jews were expecting someone to come and
deliver them from the tyranny of Roman rule.
They certainly weren’t expecting a tiny baby as their king because they,
like us, were looking for someone with strength and power. I mean if we have to follow someone then at
least let it be someone worthy of our respect right? Regardless, Jesus came as a tiny infant. Now this is the Creator of the Universe’s one
and only son. He had power in Heaven for
sure. He had a throne right next to the
King of Kings. Yet, He laid all of that
aside to come and follow. As a young boy
growing up I am certain He was expected to be obedient to His earthly
parents. I wonder if He ever refused to
obey them? Well actually I know He
didn’t because the Bible says He was “without sin.” As He grew older, he remained submissive to
His Father’s will, even to the point of death.
Matthew records the hours before His death. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John with Him
to
whirlwind of events that follow this are
horrific, excruciatingly painful, and
heartbreaking for Jesus.
Yet He says, “not what I will, but what you will.” Jesus had truly understood the importance of
following, and His example is one that has caused millions to follow Him. And if millions follow Him, doesn’t that make
Him a leader?
So as we chose to be submissive to those in authority over us, maybe our boss, or our pastor, or even our husbands (gasp!), are we in turn being leaders? Think back to the game of “Follow the Leader,” in the game there can only be one leader but each person in turn is being followed by someone else. So it is with Christianity, only God can be the leader and as each of us in turn follows Him we will be followed by someone else…now that is a legacy I can live with!
Let your light SHINE
before men in such a way that they will see
your good works and glorify your father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
SHINE Ministries is a interdenominational ministry seeking to encourage and equip women to SHINE their light for Christ in every circumstance.
SHINE Ministries