“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.”
Ecclesiastes 9:10“We may make the best plans we can, and then carry them out to the best of our ability.
“Or, having carefully laid our plans, and determined to carry them through, we may ask God to help us.
“There is yet another mode of working: to begin with God, to ask His plans, and to offer ourselves to carry out his purposes.”
J Hudson Taylor
The above verse and quotation appeared on my grandparents’ calendar on April 24th 1971.
How do I know that? Because my parents kept the little tear-off date page.
Why did they do that? Because it was their wedding day.
Yes, tomorrow is my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary! What an appropriate thing to appear on the calendar for the first day of their marriage.
They have worked at their marriage with commitment for 40 years, but I’m sure they would agree that it was not God giving his blessing to their plans and efforts, but them seeking God’s will and committing themselves to carry out his purposes for their lives.
Congratulations mum and dad! I’m really proud of you, and you’ve been a fantastic example of Godly partnership and parenthood.
And for anyone who thinks 40 years of committed marriage – or success in any difficult endeavour – is beyond their reach, here’s the message that appeared on the calendar of my other set of grandparents on the big day:
“You never know what you can do till you try.”