Throughout my childhood, my parents made a point of teaching us about the Word of God, along with the importance of going to church and doing right. I would wake up early some mornings and see my mom reading her Bible before getting ready for the day. My dad worked the night shift and slept most of the day. However, we knew to be quiet at 3 p.m. because this was when he would open his Bible and read. On Sunday mornings, we never asked the question, “What are we going to do today?” Church was what we did on Sundays and on Wednesday nights. Even when my dad worked all day on Wednesday, he would go straight to church from work.
As a young adult, I worked on an ambulance in tiresome 24-hour shifts. Having grown up going to church and knowing the importance of keeping God first, I had a tough decision to make. Church started at 9:45 a.m., so when my shift ended at 8 a.m., I hurried home, cleaned up, and rushed to be at church by 9:45 a.m. I was tired, but I needed to be there to hear the Word of God. It was important to my parents when I was living at home, and I needed to decide if it was important to me now as an adult. My parents no longer made that decision for me. I needed to decide if I was going to continue in what I had been taught. I needed to decide if I was going to choose to do right, to read my Bible every day, to pray, and to go to church.
The Bible says in II Timothy 3:14, But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
After my mom received her cancer diagnosis, I began to pray more than ever. I watched this very strong lady who never sat around for any length of time grow ever weaker. Although she was unable to do as much as she could when she was healthy, she still attended church and played the piano there any time she was physically able. She knew the importance of continuing, so she continued.
When she passed away, the question came to my mind, “Lord, what am I supposed to do now?” I felt weak, hopeless, and filled with grief. I then thought of all the times when my parents read the Bible in front of me, took me to church, and stayed faithful to the things of God. They showed me how to continue. My question had been answered with one word: continue.
When we endure hardships and do not know if we will get through the day, we must continue to read our Bibles, continue to talk to God, continue to go to church, and continue to tell others about the One Who saved us.
After almost five years without my mom, I have never regretted my decision simply to continue. The Lord has given me comfort while I have continued to serve Him. He has encouraged me while I have continued.
When you don’t know what to do, just continue. The Lord will give you just what you need.
by Mandy Harper