January 16, 2025 - Good Morning! It’s Thursday, January 16.
Most of you reading this devotion have lived in two centuries. That’s a special gift, when you stop and think about it. My father lived a long life, 82 years, but all of it was in one century. The woman we focus on today had the rare experience of living in three centuries. Imagine that! She was born January 16, 1898 and died at the age of 104 in 2002.
Margaret Booth was one of the greatest film editors in the history of Hollywood. She became a “cutter” - that’s what they called editors back then - during the very first years of silent movies. Her career lasted eight decades, spanning the introduction of sound, the birth of color, the advent of television. She was still on the job in the 1980’s, in her 80’s, when editing turned digital and began to be done on computers. Amazing!
That story reminded me of another long-lived woman. Her name was Anna, and we meet her in the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Mary and Joseph had brought the baby Jesus to the Temple 40 days after His birth, as was the Jewish custom. Waiting there was Anna. The Bible calls her a prophet, a rare term for a woman. The scripture tells us that she had lived as a widow for 84 years, after being married for seven years. Add that to the average age of Jewish brides (14), and that would make Anna 105 years old!
It was no miracle that Anna was there in the Temple that day, to meet God’s little miracle. She had been there every day for eight decades, faithfully following her calling, making a difference . . . waiting for the Messiah. Amazing!
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
