Wedding table

The voice mail said, “Linda, call me, please.”  So I did.  And what I received was a precious invitation to play oboe at a friend’s wedding.  Entirely elated, I accepted.  Feeling immensely blessed, I replied, “Yes, we’ll be there.”  Yet there were more blessings to come.  After the wedding ceremony, we enjoyed dinner with others in the party, and as we meandered through topics of job, food, and travel, I soon found my heart fluttering.  One lady posed, “What do we do when my husband retires?”  Then her husband chimed in, saying he didn’t want to sit around retired and doing nothing.  And as the comment seemed to fit, I added, “The Lord is always at work.  He has roles for us.  Just ask Him what to do.”  A statement so simple, really.  But it’s crucial to remember that not every household speaks the name of the Lord.  And in that moment of my heart fluttering, maybe it was nervousness creeping in, or maybe temptation to discourage the speaking of His name.  Nevertheless I had options to weigh and a decision to make.  How will these people respond?  Do I risk any adverse reaction?  Do I follow through, or do I bow out?  Philippians 2:9-10 tells about Jesus, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”  So I determine to not fear people's reactions.  May we trust the Lord to pattern our steps.  May we love people enough to be willing to share the name of Christ.  May we each press through our fluttering.