Have you ever found yourself signing up to something you didn’t intend to? Maybe to take part in some ridiculously crazy charity fundraiser? Of to run or host an event? Or to sit on some committee or other? Often we find ourselves unintentionally committing ourselves to things we later regret. Perhaps we were ‘volunteered’ by a well meaning friend, or felt bad because no-one else was offering, or perhaps we just couldn’t find the words to say ‘no’. A simple word, but one very many of us have difficulty enunciating.
I once found myself signing up to cater for a friend’s wedding reception. I have no experience in professional catering, nor am I an events planner. But I do have organisational skills and I can delegate quite effectively. This particular wedding reception was provided by our church and actually involved getting others to sign up to provide dishes for a buffet (this was before the days of hygiene certificates). It also involved setting up the hall, laying the tables and decorating them, providing staff to wait on tables, and clearing up afterwards. It went well enough, and everyone helped magnificently, but it was still an extremely stressful and exhausting day. I swore I would never do it again. A year later, I was asked by another friend to organise his wedding reception along similar lines… and found I could not say no… except when he asked if his guests, dressed in all their wedding finery, could be served Spaghetti Bolognese!
I have great admiration for those men and women who signed up to follow Jesus. What did they actually know about Him when He called them? What was it that made them leave their homes, families, and jobs to wander from one end of the country to the other with Him? Was what they experienced with Him, the things they heard Him teach, the miracles they witnessed, the amazing things they did themselves under His anointing, worth all that it would cost them – loss of security, wealth, reputation and for many of them, ultimately their lives. I think they would have said yes! It was worth it all, just to be with Him, to journey with Him. Witnessing His resurrection, and His ascension. Knowing without a shadow of a doubt that He was their Messiah, their Saviour, their King. And Jesus called them because He needed them, to learn from Him, but also to be His friends.
Today, I want to ask you to consider signing up to something. I am not going to bully you, or blackmail you, and it won’t cost you anything. You won’t have to leave your home or your security, nor will you be overwhelmed by the stress of the commitment you have made. What you will do, is find yourself part of my journey. I would love you to become a follower of mine! I’m not anyone special, but I do need the support of my friends as I navigate this new journey of becoming a writer. If you want to travel with me I would like to invite you to visit my website www.joymargetts.com, and sign up to receive my newsletter. I have set this up so that my team of subscribers will be the first to hear updates about my book and my writing, and the first to have access to special offers. To celebrate the launch of my book, when my subscriber list hits 25, I will select a subscriber randomly to receive a free signed copy of The Healing. In the first few emails you receive from me you will also receive exclusive sneak previews of extracts from the book, to whet your appetite. You will receive regular emails but not so that they overwhelm you; if you regret signing up – you can just unsubscribe!
So can I ask you? Please Sign up, Sign up! 😊
