Do What You Can--Guest Blog by Jeanette Levellie

          Today, I'm featuring a story by Jeanette Levellie, from her book Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top.  I think you will really enjoy her writing.  Because of God's grace, Jeanette can see the humor in her own foibles, and she uses her personal stories to offer encouragement to others.

Jeanette Levellie with her grandchildren. 

          Jeanette writes with lots of humor, from a heart filled with love, and a desire for people to see Jesus.  She and her husband, Kevin, relocated from Los Angeles to Paris, Illinois in the rural Midwest in 1999.  Kevin is a minister.  Jeanette has many stories of her experiences as a pastor's wife.  They have two adult children, and three grandchildren.   Jeanette's stories have appeared in many devotionals and anthologies, such as Love is a Verb Devotional with Gary Chapman.  Visit her on her website: http://jeanettelevellie.com.

          Following is an excerpt from Two Scoops of Grace with Chuckles on Top:

                                                         Do What You Can

When asked to speak for the Homemakers' Club at a Christian nursing home, I was stumped.  I emerged from the womb yakking, singing, and trying to motivate others . . . .   Still, what could I say to inspire women twice my age, and probably ten times my spiritual stature?
          I went to the One with all the answers.
          "Lord, I could use your help.  Many of these ladies are in wheelchairs.  Some of them are sick.  Most will never leave the nursing home.  What can I share with them to add some meaning to their lives?"
          The idea came swiftly, with surprising results.
          "There are people all around you who need your unique talents and abilities,"  I chirped to the dozen ladies gracing the room with their brightly flowered dresses.  Although they listened kindly, I detected a shadow of doubt in their eyes.  Perhaps I'd missed God's voice and brought the wrong message.  They must have thought me blind or naive, not to notice their hands twisted with arthritis and their useless legs in the wheelchair footrests.
          Nevertheless, I forged ahead.  This was the message I believed God had put on my heart.  I had to trust His voice rather than my eyes.
          "While you may not be able to do everything you once did, the Lord can use you to touch many lives.  God doesn't require a brillant mind or a perfect body for you to make a positive difference in the world.  What He's searching for is a willing heart.  He just wants you to do what you can."
          To jumpstart the ladies' discovery of unique ways to touch others' lives, I passed around a jar filled with colorful slips of paper.  On each one, I had written a simple idea.  Every club member chose two papers . . . .
          The lady who picked "compose a silly poem" rushed back to her room and returned with a bright blue notebook.  She was a poet, and had recently written a ridiculous one that she read on the spot. Our laughter danced to the ceiling . . . .
          Several days later, I recalled the evening . . . . "Thank you, Father, for your splendid idea!  You always go above and beyond what I ask or dream.  You are so amazing."
          A familiar Voice stole into my heart, soft and steady:  "What made you think I meant that idea for those ladies alone?"
"Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds"  (Hebrews 10:24 NASB).

http://www.amazon.com/Two-Scoops-Grace-Chuckles-Volume/dp/0983319618/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332286157&sr=1-2

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Thank you for reading Write Moments with God.  I hope you are enjoying my twice weekly devotions.   I'll return with another one of my own meditations on Wednesday, August 8th.