For years now Jolene Ivey has been “living” with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and congestive heart failure.
And she is doing wonderfully. Peace floods her heart.
Jolene is a Christian speaker, Bible teacher and retreat leader, and she seems to never stop. Her boundless energy is contagious when she stands before an audience. God uses her to give understanding about knowing God and how He has changed her life.
I share these words about Jolene because she has touched my life in a great way. Watching her live in the midst of pressures, problems and day-to-day life has given me strength when I needed it most.
She knows how to walk in the Spirit, and women are needed who can be examples by lives of faith. She knows how to cry and how to laugh. She uses humor in a way that keeps one lifted in spirit regardless of the problems.
Powerful testimony
Her life is a powerful testimony of Matthew 22:37 where we are told that we must love God with all of our hearts, souls, strength and minds. Jolene conveys that she does that with all her heart.
Like many others she has chosen to move through her problems and find more of God. And when you stop to think about it, is not life a recapitulation of all that has gone before? We either go forward, stay where we are or become something we never thought we could be.
Just yesterday I had one of those most remarkable moments. Thumbing through my address book to find a number, I happened on a person’s name I had not called in months. “Call her.” The nudge from within was clear.
“I cannot believe you called me. I have not heard from you in such a long time. I needed someone to call me today who could help me.”
That flood of joy spread through me that only God can give when you follow something He tells you to do when you think you don’t have time to do it.
We prayed together, and I was more blessed than she as I listened to her desire to sacrifice anything to accomplish the purpose God has for her life.
But hers was not the only phone call I made. God led me to call others. The ministry of encouragement, I call it. Like Jolene, I seek every day to live a life that counts. Time would stand in the way to do this, but I try to remember that Jesus was never in a hurry. I need to remember that.
At this time of year when we have all loved being a part of the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering emphasis, we have been reminded of the dedicated lives of our home missionaries. As Jolene speaks she shares moments like those I mentioned above.
Jolene has a heart for missions. She was the associate executive director of Alabama Woman’s Missionary Union more than 11 years. She continues to serve as she shares victories in her life and her desire to know God in an even deeper way and stir that compassion in everyone she meets.
Keep up the good work, Jolene.
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