As I enter the 24th year of my residence on this planet, I thought I would share some things that God has been teaching me. One of the huge things has been thankfulness, a lesson which really changes your perspective on circumstances.
Here on the World Race, things happen all the time. Sometimes we have awesome experiences that still bring a smile to my face – like seeing a huge thunderstorm knock out all the power in the red-light district (see my friend Justin’s blog for more details). Other times, it’s not so easy or fun. Take our time in Haiti for example, where we had a break-in and theft along with sickness that swept through the five teams in the city of Carrefour and then finishing off the month with a hurricane sweeping through and knocking out the only bridge out of the country. During times like this, it’s so easy to find yourself complaining and wishing for what could be. However, through this journey, God has taught me a remedy to complaining and the secret to having a good attitude.
Paul says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) One of the ways that thankfulness helps us in the midst of life’s crisis is to take the focus off of ourselves and put it on the goodness of God and all the blessing he has given us. I confess that so often I do not practice this. I love to dwell on how bad a circumstance is at any given time and even complain to others.
I remember when my parents used to tell me to be thankful for all that I have. I used to get annoyed with that advice because I thought to myself, “Well, being thankful won’t change the circumstances around me, so there’s no point.” In a sense, that’s right – thankfulness won’t change what’s going on around me. But what it will do is to change my perspective and my mindset. Instead of being bitter about what is going on, I can focus on what God has done for me and to remind myself that these circumstances are just passing seasons of my life. I’ve been sick and God has healed me; I’ve been robbed and God has given me a spirit of peace and forgiveness for my enemies; I was lost but I have been found by Christ; I was dead in my trespasses but now have been made alive together with Christ.
When circumstances get crazy in my life, my mind tends to go the same direction. I get flooded with thoughts of worry and thoughts of anger that I would have to go through these things. The best remedy I’ve found is to start thanking God for the innumerable benefits that he has bestowed upon me. It’s amazing how quickly the peace of God begins to settle on my mind. I remind myself of God’s past faithfulness to me and I realize that if God was faithful through my past circumstances then he will once again be with me. It doesn’t mean the crisis goes away, but I’m able to stand through it because of the strength of the Lord, knowing that he will redeem it and that, in the end, it will all work for the good.
The more I practice the discipline of thankfulness, the more I realize how blessed I have been in my life. As I think of my family, who have been so supportive of me and so encouraging, my friends, who have been so loyal over the years, the men of God that have been placed in my life to spur me on to love Christ more, and my awesome teammates, who have walked through so much with me and supported me over the last 4 months. I’m also so thankful for the education I’ve received – both academically and also the lessons taught through life experiences, travel, and wise counsel.
No matter the circumstances I go through, I can be content knowing that God has been so gracious to me thus far and I can trust that he will continue to provide in his timing. The key to contentment, the remedy for complaint, the relief from bitterness is found in a thankful heart.
Anyways, before I head off, I wanted to update you all on what’s going on in my life. In case you didn’t know, we had some team changes. I’m currently on a new team: Team HaHa.
I believe the picture and the team name accurately describe our character. I feel so blessed to be on this team. Each one of these people has been so encouraging to me and has stepped up in awesome ways to serve in the ministry we’re involved in.
Speaking of such, this month we are in Malaysia in the Kelantan province. Malaysia is a Muslim country, but Kelantan is especially so because it is controlled by the fundamentalist Muslim party. This means we have to be very careful with our conduct, dress, and words. Despite this, it’s been a great experience so far. We’re teaching English to locals in a teaching center. It’s been so cool finding creative ways to teach a language to people who don’t know it.
We’re also working with some of the indigenous people in Malaysia and doing some kids ministry among them. This group of people is in the minority and they find their land and rights frequently taken away as the government seeks to expand its influence by converting them to Islam or marginalizing them. Despite this, they still have so much joy in them because of the light of Christ and I’ve felt so blessed to work alongside of them.
On another note, I have word of our next destination: Cambodia! Should be exciting and I’ll keep you updated on more details as they come.
One last thing: through your help, I have been able to raise $12,350.00 so far. Wow – I feel so blessed and humbled by your giving. And I wanted to direct my final thank you to all of you who have been so generous in your giving and your prayers. It’s thanks to you all that I’ve gotten this far in the Race and now I only have $3,000 left until my final amount of $15,500. Thanks so much to everyone for your generosity! You guys rock!
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