2003 was a year that marked a turning point for my life. That was the year of my first Spoke Folk tour, MD 03. Why did I wait until I was 57 years old to go on tour? There were numerous reasons for waiting but the best one was that it was God’s timing and not mine. The longer you live and the more you look back on your life the more you realize how God’s timing is always better than ours. The Psalmist writes:
5 For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
for my hope is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;
my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.
Ps 62:5-8, ESV
Waiting on God is not the easiest thing to do but our faith and trust in Him will lead us to want His blessing as we go into every new situation. I have learned over the years to put everything, even my plans, into God’s keeping. Then I have learned to trust Him to make plain His plan. Life lived with God is so much better than life lived just by ourselves. The timing and the decision to go on tour came when it was needed the most and offered opportunities for ministry which would be very precious when I retired. It turns out that the most treasured memories from touring are the ones where God used us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ or God blessed us with wisdom from other participants. The experience of sharing faith with others and having others share faith with us is a gift beyond measure.
~PJ Thacker
Jodi Carlson
Good story PJ! Thank you for those meaningful words. I hope to go on tour one day!
Carrie
I’m certainly glad God picked MD ‘03 as your first tour, PJ!