Grace Across Borders: Biblical Lessons and Global Legends

Have you ever wondered if all the work you’re doing will actually matter, or if you’ll even get the chance to use it?

Good morning, I am Tameka, and welcome to Grace Across Borders.

This week, a conversation stayed with me.

My sister in law, Shereen, was sharing how difficult nursing school had been for her. One day she sat in her car crying, overwhelmed. In that moment, my daughter Saneka, my niece whom I have raised since she was six months old, called her. As Shereen vented, Saneka said something that stuck,
“Jesus is coming soon… imagine if He comes the moment you graduate.”

Imagine caring that much about finishing, and still being reminded that there’s something greater than the finish line.

But what made it even better was that years later, when Saneka is going through her own accelerated nursing program, Shereen said the exact same thing back to her, in her moment of distress.

I laughed so hard yesterday when Shereen told me that story.

But it stayed with me.

Because years ago, my daughter Dominique said something similar to me,
“Mom, what if you do all this schooling and don’t get to use it?”

And I remember how heavy that felt at the time.

But now, I hear it differently.

Walking Towards the Savior.

In the Gospel of Matthew 14, the disciples were caught in a storm.

The wind was strong.
The waves were real.

And in the middle of it, Jesus came walking on the water.

Peter saw Him and said, “Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come.”

And Jesus said, “Come.”

Peter stepped out of the boat, and he walked on water.

Not because of the water.
Not because of Peter.

But because his eyes were on Jesus.

And then something shifted.

The moment Peter focused on the wind,
on what he felt,
on what he saw,

he began to sink.

Because his focus changed.

This was never about the water.
It was always about who he was looking at.

Keep the Light Burning

There’s an old story told in different places about a servant who was given one simple responsibility.
Keep the lamp burning.

He wasn’t told when the master would return.
He wasn’t told how long it would take.

Only this.
Keep the light on.

Days passed.
Then weeks.
Then longer.

People began to question it.
Why keep going?
Does it even matter?

But the servant didn’t stop.

He kept trimming the wick.
Kept adding oil.
Kept the flame alive.

And one night, when no one expected it,
the master returned.

And the only thing that mattered was that the lamp was still burning.

Reflection

If I sit with it now, I realize something.

If we really believe that Jesus is coming soon, then stopping what He called us to do doesn’t make sense.

We weren’t called to sit and wait in fear.
We were called to work.

To keep going.
To keep obeying.
To keep doing what He placed in our hands.

Even if we don’t see the full outcome.
Even if we don’t get to use it the way we imagined.

Because what if the point was never just the outcome?

What if the journey itself is part of the calling?

And not just the journey, but the lives we meet along the way.

The conversations.
The moments.
The people God places in front of us.

Meeting you.
Sharing with you.

That matters too.

If this were my last breath, I would still want to be found doing what God called me to do.

Writing.
Growing.
Working it out.

This journey has already been more of a blessing than anything I thought I was working toward.

And maybe that’s the shift.

Not asking, what if I don’t get to use it?

But asking, am I being faithful while I’m in it?

Because what if Jesus comes right when we finish?

Wouldn’t it matter that we stayed focused?

That we kept our eyes on Him?

That we kept doing the work He called us to do?

Yes, Jesus is coming again.

And I pray we are all ready to hear Him say, “…, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matthew 25:21 (KJV)

Let Us Pray

Lord,

Sometimes I get distracted by what’s around me.

By the pressure.
By the timing.
By the uncertainty.

And I start to feel like I’m sinking.

But today, remind me to fix my eyes on You.

Not on fear.
Not on doubt.
Not on what I don’t understand.

Help me to keep doing the work You have called me to do.

Help me to be faithful in the moments I don’t see the outcome.

Help me to recognize that the people I meet along the way matter too.

And if You come sooner than I expect, let me be found working.

With my heart set on You.
With grace in my hands.

Ready to hear, “Well done.”

In Jesus’ name,
Amen.

✨ Closing

But until then, let us do the work with grace that He has called us to do. Keeping our eyes on Him and our light burning.

If this spoke to you, share it with someone who may need the reminder.
You never know who is questioning if what they are doing still matters.

And maybe, just maybe, this will help them keep going.

This is Grace Across Borders. Where mercy rewrites our story.