Isaiah Chapter 43 has been a bible passage I have been reading for some time. Sometimes you find a gem in God’s word that really seems to nail what you are thinking or experiencing, and this has been the case for me. In it God reminds us that no matter what we face in life God is with us, for us, protecting us, loving us and encouraging us. In verse 2 Isaiah speaks of God walking with us when we walk through tough times. This has described my last year as our family has experienced a number of difficult situations. Over the last 6 months, my husband and I have been praying and talking about how to best respond to them. Isaiah 43 goes on in verse 19 to say “see, I am doing a new thing” and after much consideration and prayer I have decided to step down as College Pastor and focus on being a mum and Grandma [my other two favourite roles]. I have loved all my years at GCC as students and their families have allowed me into their lives to journey with them through life and faith. I count it an absolute privilege to have connected with so many amazing students and their families. I have also been very blessed to work alongside such wonderful staff who are passionate about our young people. I will miss many things and many people but I am also excited about having the time to be very present with my family. I want to thank each and every one of you who has chosen to place your children in our and my care at GCC. As much as I have given to the students they have poured so much back into my life. So many parents have also been a blessing to me and I am privileged to count several of you as friends.
I want to leave you with one of my favourite life verses which is first spoken in the Old Testament and Jesus reiterates it in the New Testament.
In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus’ best life advice is to ‘‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself”. I summarise it as:
Love God
Love others
Love yourself.
A life lived in this order of love is God’s best plan for us. It is my hope and prayer that you will find your best life lived in relationship with God.
God bless you
Pastor Fi