OFF DUTY

“Off Duty!”

That’s what the Lord said to those of us who had been “standing watch” for my friend Nadine. He said He was taking her home. She had fought a good fight. She had kept the faith. She had finished her course. We had done what we had been commissioned by His heart and love to do! He had taken her home. We were now “Off Duty!”

Now where did that leave us? Those of us who were now pondering all the prayers of faith and visits and calls and meals and baths and massages and support? Those of us who believed God for her healing in this life? Where did that leave us who were now “Off Duty”?

What I discovered is this: God is so concerned about the heart that He will do anything to get to it so that we can stockpile the greatest amount of eternal wealth. It’s the only thing that lasts. In Nadine’s last year, God allowed her to store up more treasure in heaven than, I believe, she had stored up in the former years of her life.

• He healed my friend’s heart and prepared her to meet her Bridegroom.
• She was able to let go of the bitterness of the past and live in the love of God!
• God was able to heal deep wounds that she did not EVEN know existed!
• She was able to see in a real way the people God had given her for her life and for transportation into eternity.
• God was able to develop in her a love for His people and His land Israel, so that she traveled to Israel and selflessly served the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) in any way that they needed her.
• She connected with the Jewish roots of her faith and joined studies at a Messianic synagogue.
• She was able to know what it was like to bask in the Presence of God and to desire that Presence.
• She was not only able to grasp God’s word for her healing but also to cling to it because she loved it. She realized that a relationship with God  was more than what she could get from God but who she was in Him. It was more than about her healing. It was about the richness of a life lived in Him. “He will always be in charge of my life,” she said. “Oh, how I love Him so!”
• She was able to bless the lives of those she loved with a radiant smile even in the midst of her pain.
• She was able to build a legacy and leave that with us–her family and friends. A legacy of . . .

1. A life well lived and a race well run . . . and WON!
2. Meeting any obstacle head on;
3. Enjoying life . . . with cruises and backpacking in Europe;
4. Fulfilling dreams, like one of being baptized in the Jordan River, of a wedding dress in a shop window in Turkey, and relaxing in DuBai.
5. Loving family, that even in her sickness she traveled to Trinidad and to New York to connect with those she loved.
6. Not giving in to a struggle.

Nadine Lisa Spence was . . .

• A Warrior in the Navy!
• A Diamond among her friends!
• A Jewel in her family!
• A Princess in the Kingdom of God!

…  and was given an opportunity to build a legacy, leaving that as a memory, an example, and a reflection of the life of a Warrior Princess who is now also “Off Duty.”

PRAYER: Thank you for allowing us to serve our sister, Father, so that she would have more time to build a legacy and store up more treasures in heaven. Thank you that her indomitable spirit did not stop her from believing or trusting You which allowed her faith to make room for Your sovereignty.  You trusted us to encourage her spirit. You trusted us to show her the Father’s love. You trusted us to pray her into Your arms. Although our assignment with Nadine is complete, our assignment with You is not. Never will we forget her, but we do hear You saying to us, “Off Duty. Regroup! Reboot your faith . . . and wait . . . for the next assignment.” It was a privilege serving Your daughter! Amen.