The Offering

In the year 1986 I was thirty three years old and in the prime of my life. I lived on a family farm in Chickamauga, Georgia. Grandma Belle and Papa lived up on the hill. And my husband Steve, seven year old Faith and two year old Andrew occupied the double wide trailer at the front of the property. We had a rather long drive way that was lined on either side with fruit trees. We had a variety of apple trees, several peach, pear and plum trees and way at the very end there was an absolutely lovely apricot tree. As you can imagine, during autumn I was crazy busy preparing homemade jelly, jam, and preserves. And you know if your going to be making all that sweet goodness it would be a sin to put it on old store brought bread! But remember now, I told you that it was a family farm. Papa was a master gardener and he liked to show off his skills a little and make our garden the size of a football field. Guess who was in charge of picking and canning and freezing? You're right, Grandma Belle and yours truly. As if that list weren't long enough add to it the fact that my husband was the interim preacher for the church he grew up in.

The church had hired a young woman named Karen Shrock as the church organist. Her husband Randy would sit on the back pew with little three month old Rachel on his lap. Karen's responsibility was to play the organ for our church service and then to return in the evening for choir practice. It bothered my kindhearted husband that they would have to make the trip back and forth from Chattanooga to Chickamauga twice a day and particularity with a three month old strapped into the
car-seat. He came up with what he thought was the perfect solution.

"Sarah, I think we should have the Shrock's spend their Sunday afternoons with us on the farm so they don't have to keep going back to Chattanooga." I think I screamed at the man. No wait a minute I'm very sure I screamed at the man. You see, I believed in keeping the Sabbath and what that looked like to me was that after I had worshiped the Lord and fed everybody I wanted my husband to leave me alone and I wanted my children to leave me alone. I believed that Sunday was a holy day of rest and I warned my children that once I went into my bedroom and closed that door they were to leave me alone or there would be consequences to pay because Mama needed her holy rest! So, as you can see the thought of entertaining company on my Sabbath rest was not a welcome one.

"Sarah, would you at least pray about it?" There are some things in this life that I just do not want to pray about and this was one of them. But I did pray and it sounded a little like this, "Dear God I don't want to do this! You know everything I'm doing. Can't I just get a break every now and then? All I really want to do on Sunday is just to be left alone. Oh, wait a minute, that didn't sound too right did it? But I guess to be honest it's true, you're not really part of my Sundays at all are you? I'm sorry, I'll make it right. I guess this was what you really had in mind all along wasn't it? You want me to live a sacrificial life and I've become self-focused and very selfish. Well, I guess I can use the words Jesus taught me and say,"Not my will, but thine be done." Please forgive me. Starting right now I am making the choice to surrender my Sunday afternoons to you. They are my offering."

I made that great sacrifice twenty nine years ago, let me bring you up to date. Karen and Randy now live in Indianan their three children have now grown up and have left home. In May when I told Karen that I was going to have brain surgery she immediately contacted the counseling service she works for and told them that she would need time off from work. Karen arranged to be at Vanderbilt by 5:15 am. That would be the only time I would see her till I got home. Her mission at Vanderbilt was to comfort my family during the twelve hour surgery where each harbored their own private fear that they might never see their mother or wife again. Karen has the spiritual gift of mercy as well as being a trained counselor she gave of herself freely. She had worked it out with another friend in Nashville to provide a wonderful comforting meal that nourished not only body but soul. I saw her hand Steve an envelop with money so at some point they could all go out to eat when the ordeal was over. Karen ministered to them tirelessly until at last they received word I was in recovery. She left then for the farm. It wasn't long after she arrived that the truth became evident my house had a flea infestation! She got right to action and arranged for an exterminator to come to the house with the added burden that while taking intense care of me she also was vacuuming the whole house every day. She organized all my medicine. She was  my gentle companion day and night. Only her gentle touch could coax my eye to relax enough to close. Having written all this I know without a doubt that I have left something out.

Had I not been willing to be self sacrificing giving God "the offering" of my Sunday afternoon I would have missed so much. I would have missed one of the most genuine spiritual transformation in the person of Karen's husband Randy. I would have missed watching Rachel crawl and then take her first steps in my living room and then finally becoming a kind and gracious woman like her mother. Rachel is nine month pregnant, moving from Knoxville to Nashville and gave her blessing for Karen to spend this time taking care of me not her. Only months before Jonathan's birth my own baby had died how comforting it was for my empty arms to be filled again. Sarah Schrock is named after me. It is an honor that humbles me to the core. I stand in amazement of this woman.

But perhaps, the greatest thing I have received is a deeper understanding of the heart of God. I had brought my offering to Him because I believed that He wanted me to be self sacrificing but I think I had it wrong. Now, I believe He wanted me to bring Him my offering so that He could place me in just the right place so that when He opened up the flood gates of blessing I'd be hit with them full force!