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Love Crosses All Boundaries
by Elaine Littau Boundary defined by Webster's New World College Dictionary is: any line or thing marking a limit; bound; border. Bound: a boundary; limit; confine - out of bounds:1 beyond the boundaries or limits, as of a playing field 2 not to be entered or used; forbidden. My husband and I went to a "West of 50s" Camp. It was a blast! There were only a few of the campers who were in their fifties. The rest were in the decades of sixties through nineties. Every one of them were people with something great to contribute to the world and me in particular. After we introduced ourselves the "age thing" ceased to be an issue. (I have to say that it was cool to be one of the "kids" of the bunch.) As we played games, sang, ate, and worshipped together I was struck by the depth of emotion and gusto they expended. Their enthusiasm was infectious and Terry & I jumped in with both feet too. One lady's home had burned to the ground only three weeks earlier but you would never know it. Despair had not found a home in her heart. She was an inspiration to me. The sermons were encouraging and passionate. The call to serve was given to all of us no matter our age. Some of the oldest faces glowed with the realization that God was not through with them yet and they still had great purpose in life. I suspect that a lot of well-meaning younger people have taken over jobs from them to help them but in the process made them feel that they were not needed anymore. Of course most of them could not do as much as they did when they were younger, but they still wanted to be used and needed. The singing was straight from the heart and with great strength. Terry and I sang our tonsils out and had a great time worshipping our wonderful Savior. No, it didn't sound as refined as the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but it was a joyful noise presented to our Father in heaven. I am certain that He appreciated the offering. I know I did. I will say it again, these saints were passionate in their praises. I entered in whole-heartedly and I gained strength from it. Terry and I sang a "special" at the singspiration time that we learned in 1975 at Bible College. "Jesus Will Outshine Them All". In case you don't know that particular song, it talks about getting to heaven and experiencing all that heaven has to offer. After you get there you realize that Jesus is the greatest thing about heaven. I can hardly wait to see Him! Our friends clapped and cheered as if we were rock stars but we knew they were really cheering for Jesus. It was a neat experience. Of course we heard many other "specials" that hour and my tears flowed unchecked because of the devotion of the hearts of these people. Teen-agers and young sponsors were there to assist all of us and I really appreciated the love they showered on us. They treated us like the people who work on cruise ships would have. They were called "The Furnace Group". I called them the little slaves!!! Boy did those kids work hard! They were learning about leadership in learning servanthood first. "The greatest among you is the servant of all." As we sat there in the meeting room as people mostly known as Believers, I was very happy that the boundaries were down. They prayed for me and I prayed for them. We were God's children. I feel that in churches today the focus has been on reaching the younger decades. The oldest decades have been ignored and unused. It is as if when someone reaches a certain number, whether it be 35, 40, 50, 70... they are no longer relevant. That is so not true! Some of my best friends are in their seventies, eighties, and up. They bless me with their wisdom and knowledge of life. I see that they made it through the things I am going through so I know that I will make it too. " I found it interesting that part of the definition of boundary was "forbidden, not to be used, limit" Please, for your own sake, do not discount the importance of our older people. They have the treasure of experience, time, age, wisdom, knowledge, and so much more. It was sad to me to think that some of my new friends may not be around for the next camp, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to talk with them and call them "friends". Littau is a life-long resident of Perryton, TX. She met husband, Terry at the Apostolic Faith Bible College in Baxter Springs, Kansas in 1974. They married March 1, 1975 and reside on a small acreage near Perryton where they enjoy spending time with their family and friends. They raised three sons and now have three daughters-in-law and four grandchildren added to their family. They also enjoy visiting with their extended family located in Perryton, Clear Lake, Laverne, and Amarillo. Author Elaine Littau is a busy woman who by profession is the church secretary for Harvest Time First Assembly of God Church in Perryton. Among other things she has led women's groups and taught preschool, and was a mentor for the M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Preschoolers) group in her community. She has been active in Toastmasters and enjoys painting, crafts, and playing piano and organ. She was recently appointed to the Campus Education Improvement Committee for Wright Elementary in Perryton. She belongs to Christian Storytellers and Faith Writers writing groups. "Nan's Journey" was written over the course of several years. "A salvation message is at the core of the book." Littau says. "If it weren't for the Lord, I wouldn't have been able to do this. I truly enjoy meeting new people." "Nan's Journey" was named the "Best Christian Historical Fiction of 2008" by christianstorytellers.com. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |