Today is a beautiful day at sea! The Atlantic is calm. There is a light breeze, and the sky is full of huge puffy clouds. The only negative to this whole crossing the world voyage is how they do the time change. Apparently Europe is 6 hrs different in time from my beloved Eastern time zone, so we have been adding an hour per night. We are at 4 now. So, as I write this it is 11:30 am ship time, but 7:30 am where most of you (and my body clock) are. I’m trying to adjust!

Today I am going to write about a theme that has been recurring in my life in one way or another over the past year or so. Cooperation. You know…working together to accomplish a goal. In the past I have not been that great at it. I mean, yeah…I’ve served on teams where we worked together to accomplish something. But I was happiest when they all worked together to accomplish MY goal.

But this year I have been challenged with the concept of cooperating with God. The pastor of my “adopted” church, Mark Alt, spoke on this a couple of months ago, and it has really stayed with me. God invites us to cooperate with him in the work that he is doing here. And the funny thing is that we sometimes have no idea what it is that he is working to accomplish.

Let me explain. If we are walking with the Lord, there are times when he asks us to do things. Sometimes little things. Sometimes big things. Sometimes things that seem to make no sense at all. But my experience over the past year has been that by cooperating with him and doing what he asks, the most amazing things can happen. But usually not immediately. You have to journey down the road a little before the pieces start coming together. And the really cool thing is that he is also working in the lives of other people at the same time, inviting them to take part in this great masterpiece that he is creating. By us all cooperating together in what he is asking his task is accomplished.

It’s happened to me through my life and ministry. People respond to God’s prompting. They cooperate with him and my life is affected. It is an amazing, wonderful journey of grace.

Oh, sure…he doesn’t have to include us in his creation process. He could snap his fingers and make it all happen. But he chooses to involve us, if we are willing to walk with him.

I read Isaiah 40 today. Such a powerful chapter. But I saw something new today. I usually really want to focus on the last part of the chapter that talks about mounting up on the wings of eagles. But today I noticed something in the last part of v. 28 and v. 29:  No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

I think one of the ways that he gives strength to the powerless is by allowing us to cooperate in his great redemptive work. He sees all the puzzle pieces laid out before him, and says, “I think Lee Ann should pick up this one.” It may take awhile before the puzzle is complete, but by us all being obedient to pick up the pieces, his work is accomplished and we have grown.

And sometimes we never see the completed puzzle.

I hope all of this makes sense. There’s no Jesus in flowered swim trunks in this one, but my thoughts for today are definitely a continuation of my thoughts from yesterday…being obedient in the things that God says are ours to do can make a difference in the Kingdom.

What is it that God is asking you to do today? Trust him. Do it. Join him in his creative process!

Blessings, my friends!