So what was the first meal of 2010 for me? Chickfila!!! Maybe it will be a good year after all. :)
My thoughts about this upcoming year just keep developing more and more positively. One of the main reasons is Platt's last sermon in the He Came series that closed out the Christmas season and spoke forward to the approaching new year. It probably made the list of one of my top five favorite Brook Hills Sundays, and I found such encouragement in it as I was reminded that my hope is secure when it is in my Father's hands because He is constant and faithful. If my hope is in my plans or ideas, I will be utterly disappointed, but He cannot and will not disappoint.
I know that I have recently been given excellent advice about my life in Honduras, and I want to honor it. I was even encouraged by Platt's sermon as I was reminded that my time here isn't supposed to be easy.
"As long as we as Christians, and as long as we in the church, live to make the glory of God known among all the peoples of the world, and try to figure out how to live Christianity in Birmingham, Alabama, to be the church in Birmingham, Alabama for the sake of all the people groups in the world - as long as that is our purpose, it will not be easy. It will not be easier at all - it will be harder. It will be more difficult. Satan will not sit idly by while the people of God pursue the glory of Christ among the peoples of all the world... But I am finding great hope in the reality that as long as we are giving ourselves to the purpose of God that has been there since the beginning of creation, that it may be tough and it may be difficult and it may be costly, but it will be worth it. God will use our lives to accomplish His purpose. So hope in this. Hope in this when it gets hard. Hope in this when it gets costly. Hope in this when it's not safe. Hope in this when the way of thinking, the way of life, goes against everything in our culture and even in our church culture around us. Hope in this: God from the beginning has been making his glory known among all the peoples of the world and as long as you and I are in on that purpose, we are guaranteed to see that purpose finished. It's going to happen and it will be worth it..."
So even when I'm stuck wondering why He sent me here: to a people group that is considered "reached" with the Gospel; to children who are much wealthier than I've ever been and than I probably ever will be; to a life that is comfortable and very similar to the one I led in Birmingham - I will hope in the fact that God knows what He's doing; He's using me even when I don't understand and even when I can't see it; and He will make His glory known to these students and to Honduras...
"As long as we as Christians, and as long as we in the church, live to make the glory of God known among all the peoples of the world, and try to figure out how to live Christianity in Birmingham, Alabama, to be the church in Birmingham, Alabama for the sake of all the people groups in the world - as long as that is our purpose, it will not be easy. It will not be easier at all - it will be harder. It will be more difficult. Satan will not sit idly by while the people of God pursue the glory of Christ among the peoples of all the world... But I am finding great hope in the reality that as long as we are giving ourselves to the purpose of God that has been there since the beginning of creation, that it may be tough and it may be difficult and it may be costly, but it will be worth it. God will use our lives to accomplish His purpose. So hope in this. Hope in this when it gets hard. Hope in this when it gets costly. Hope in this when it's not safe. Hope in this when the way of thinking, the way of life, goes against everything in our culture and even in our church culture around us. Hope in this: God from the beginning has been making his glory known among all the peoples of the world and as long as you and I are in on that purpose, we are guaranteed to see that purpose finished. It's going to happen and it will be worth it..."
So even when I'm stuck wondering why He sent me here: to a people group that is considered "reached" with the Gospel; to children who are much wealthier than I've ever been and than I probably ever will be; to a life that is comfortable and very similar to the one I led in Birmingham - I will hope in the fact that God knows what He's doing; He's using me even when I don't understand and even when I can't see it; and He will make His glory known to these students and to Honduras...
And now, coming off of that plane and into the warm tropical temperatures of this strange city serving as my home for a year, I know that "my cup runneth over". The time at home, though busy, was restful. Many of the people that I love reminded me over and over again that they love me and they're proud of me and that I can do this.
Five and a half months.
That seems like a long time. But I'm going to be here for that amount of time regardless, so I'm thinking I might as well look at it with a positive attitude. Wishing for home and even planning for the next steps will not change the timeline or make it pass more quickly. Besides, I was called here for a purpose, and I have not yet completed my task. I'm working on focusing on the reason I'm here in the first place and trusting the Lord to work all things for good even when I can't see what He's doing.
In the last few days, I have really been thinking about family. In this season of my life, I feel like my love for and attachment to my family is growing stronger as time passes. Many people do not feel this way about their family, and I wonder if I am wrong. I wonder if I am growing more immature in that area. After all, aren't I supposed to grow farther from them and more independent with each passing year? But then I remembered a conversation that I had with my friend Stacy a couple of months ago.
She is also a teacher here, and at that time, she was struggling because she felt like she was slipping back into her old ways of life. She had once again gotten caught up in fashion, shopping, and celebrity gossip, and she wasn't very pleased by her return to those things. Then she talked to another friend who pointed out that because Stacy's heart and soul long for and seek God, then she longs for and seeks beauty. Unfortunately, she was merely finding a false substitute for real beauty. I loved that explanation of the root of her desire because it seemed to make sense to me in a way that very little had before.
I think it may also relate to my current obsession with my family. My heart and soul long for God. In longing for God, I long for love. The best expression of love that I have ever found in my life has come in and through my family. I hope and pray that God will help me to know Him more so that I will continue to grow in love for my family and to love Him and desire Him and long to please Him infinitely more...
Finally, before I go to bed early after a very long day, today is the first day of The Radical Experiment. I'm really excited about it... Check it out. :) www.radicalexperiment.org
Goodnight moon.
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