Hennie Symington

But my trust is in you, O Lord;

     you are my God.

I am always in your care … Psalm 31:14-15a

Yes, you guessed it, today is my fourth birthday on Verse a day – and technically it is the day that I would have been put out to pasture, as the old saying goes. According to general company practices and the law of the land, sixty five is a good age to stop working (for money I might add).

So here I am, too “old” to work but still labouring as hard as ever in the fields of the Lord. I can imagine God chuckling in glee at all these “golden oldies” that he can use at last to till the soil and sow the seeds.

Reflecting on close on forty years of working life, give and take a couple of years of child rearing and keeping house, I feel so blessed. Knowing that I was a restless soul, God gave me a bit of everything to do over the years – teaching, writing stuff, bringing up my own children, painting pictures, translating stuff, working with people in various and varying congregations, working with the Bible and being given many opportunities to bring the Word closer to people. And still it’s not the last of it. Here in Japan the fields have changed but the calling hasn’t. And neither will it, I believe.

Did I foresee the path my life would take? Like everybody does, I’ve made my mistakes and still do; I’ve made the wrong choices quite often, and still do; I have often lost my way, and still do; I’ve said hurtful things about people and still do; I’ve neglected my faith at times and still do. Yet God has kept me close – knowing my weaknesses better than I do. So here I am still blessed with God’s goodness and forgiveness. So I’ll just carry on until it’s time to go – only God knows when!

Prayer:Dear Lord you have been my shepherd and my shield for all my life. You made me forget the hard times, while the good times I cherish in my heart. I know that as you have watched over me for so long, you will continue to do so for as long as I live. I thank you for that. Amen