{extra + ordinary}: cornelia

{extra + ordinary}

 

    ~ordinary women being used by an extraordinary God~

     ~doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way~

           ~living extra in the ordinary~

I met Cornelia in the Charles de Gualle airport in Paris.  I seem to meet a lot of awesome people in airports for some reason.  We were on our way to Bulgaria to serve on a medical mission team together.  We spent the next week working side by side providing physical and occupational therapy to the people of Pazardjik as they wandered into our makeshift clinic set-up in a small church.  Cornelia is very skilled in treating patients, and she is also extremely gifted at caring for the spiritual and emotional needs of her patients.  She is someone who has learned to see work (and really all of life) as worship, and I could learn a lot from her.  She sees her job as a ministry, both to her patients and to her co-workers.  She isn't going through the motions of work just looking forward to retirement.  She sees each day as an opportunity to serve and honor God.  

 

 

 

 

What an honor to share God's work in my life, and how I have the privilege to be part of His work in Kingdom matters, from the spiritual-desert of the Northeast. I live in New Jersey, the most liberal and atheist state in the US. I have been here nearly my whole life and often had hand-wringing and longing to leave and live in a place that was not hostile to God. But with every request and opportunity, HE said " no, I need you THERE." So here we are in a TINY, tiny house with 14K of annual taxes for 2 1/2 bedrooms and nearly no yard...but His divine purposes! I think that everyone, in every line of work, is doing divine work. That is part of Kingdom building, if we seek His will there, and look to have a missional life. So we are all missionaries doing kingdom work wherever we are. God exists in every good endeavor, even the simplest ones, when pursued in response to God's calling- and they can matter forever!

I am an Occupational Therapist for 30+ years, at a private Out -Patient company- the largest in the country for outpatient rehabilitation. I know TWO Christians in my company, and I don't work with either of them every day. I pray daily for the strength and wisdom to be a light in a dark place. I have done my job with as much excellence as possible, given the fact that I am bold about calling myself a Christian...so the name deserves the best that I can have associated with it....and worthy of the name.  God has blessed this hard work with great success on an earthly level, which then equates with the freedom, platform and opportunity to make decisions and policy and chart course from a Christian world view. Also- the people that I hire and train, I serve with spiritual care. I pray for and with each of them, I lead  optional bible studies over lunch ( they asked me if I knew any of the 10 commandments or the name of one of the books of the Bible!!) , and have a personal e-blog for encouragement with scripture verses for staff. Exposure by word and deed to God's truth and promises and faithfulness is a goal. And during patient care I try to exemplify something foreign up here, which is going above and beyond to be EAGER to treat the unlovable of the patients. I choose and volunteer to treat the ones that no one else wants- those too whiney, too complicated, too mean, too leaky, too smelly, too much like me-except for the grace of God.  This has grown to having some attend my community based women's Bible Study in the evenings, every week. This includes a basic Bible study series and an advanced and discipleship series for more mature Christian women. This leads to mentoring 1:1 of singles and couples.  I believe mentoring is commanded, blessed and powerful!! Also, my husband and I feel that the understanding and holiness of marriage has been hijacked, and that Christians are no better than non-Christians. Marriage is a train wreck in both secular and Christian circles alike. So we have made it an intentional thing to host couples, & singles alike, for meals, or for day-trips away on some excursion. We chose to invite two young women who were struggling financially to live with us for 6 months (we are empty nesters, so the rooms are now bare and ready!). This is our ministry- have some REAL exposure to married life~ good, bad, and ugly- but filled with Scripture daily devotions, prayer and forgiveness and love of God first. So when I read mission updates for folks I am partnering with all over the world, I believe that those ideas and needs are identical for what God calls me to do right here. To live every day thinking of who can I serve, who can I bless, who can learn about Christ through my broken and imperfect life, but my honest effort to reflect his Love and Grace.

I actually don't believe in retirement, because my "job" is a temporary means to do ministry, and it will change over time. The concept of living my life someday for my own pleasures and glory are not found in Scripture. Will I slow down, or things change? Yes, probably...but as God directs and guides at that time. And the day I am bed ridden and out of physical strength- my mind may be clear enough to spend the day in prayerful intercession for those He lays on my heart. A gradual transition to heaven- to spend the day at is feet in prayer and praise.

 

 

And the verse that gives me strength when I grow weary and discouraged ( which is daily!): "Behold I am the LORD the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me? Ah Lord God! You have made the heaven and the earth by your great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for YOU?"
"Call unto Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things"

Jeremiah 32:17,27 and 33:3