Ahh.... It feels so good to be back in a familiar place.  I think it's beginning to feel like I'm in 2011, little by little.

For those of you who do not know me, I've been writing for Seeds of Faith for quite some time now, and on Thursday, December 30th, 2010 around 5pm the absolute love of my life, my husband, stepped into a deer stand and then moments later stepped into heaven.  In an instant my life was changed.

I can't thank everyone enough for your messages, prayers, tears, hugs, smiles... the list could go on and on. But that's not what my post is about today.

Over the past 13 days, I have attended not just one, but two memorial services for my husband.  I actually spoke at both of them, and I have heard multiple people say, "John always used to say ______."  Oh the things that have been recounted over this time!

However, this morning as I pondered on what I wanted to share with you today, one of the things he used to say all the time rose to the surface above the others.  It's something that  has given me profound comfort since hearing about his accident.

He used to say to the people of our church and to the many whom he counseled in his office,

Don't ask, "What's my spiritual gift?" - ask, "What's my assignment?" - and the Lord will give you the spiritual gifts you need to complete His assignment.

John's earthly assignment is complete.  However, mine just radically changed!  Of course it's very daunting!

I'm learning user id's and passwords for accounts I've never even worried about before.  I'm thinking about what job this SAHM Mom is going to now have to find.  It can all be very overwhelming.

But over the past 13 days, I've thought of other women in the Bible whom God gave daunting assignments to - Mary, Sarah, Ruth, and what if any one of those women had said, "I'm not up for this assignment.  I don't think I'm going to obey this one!  It's just too hard!"

The Lord said to Mary, "Fear not!"  I truly believe the Lord has given me this assignment and has said, "Fear not, Penny.  I know you don't understand, but My grace is sufficient for even this!  Trust me with your whole heart, lean on Me, and I will show you how to get through this."

Do you remember "Honors Classes" in high school.  I was always in Honors everything - English, Math, & Science.  I loved how those classes elevated my GPA (the rewards were great), but rarely did I enjoy the extra work it required.  Most of the time we had the same assignment as the regular classes - but always with an added twist (which required more time and effort on my part)!

In some strange way, I feel that God is making go through the honors class of life with this experience.  It's extremely difficult, it's going require way more time than I ever imagined, but I have the hope that the reward is going to be proportionately great!

The question and challenge I have for you today is this...


If not, ask the Lord and He will surely tell you.  If you do know your assignment, go and do it with the confidence He has made available to you - and FEAR NOT!

I love you all dearly!

I would love to get to know you better! You can find me almost every day sharing what God is teaching me personally over at my blog, Living Above Ministries. I also am totally addicted to Facebook &  Twitter! So grab a cup of coffee and let's chat!