Thinking about weddings made me reflect on the idea of “covenant.” There have been many times throughout the race that our squad has talked about covenant. God has made many covenants throughout history with His people. Some are one way covenants, like God’s promise to never again flood the earth (Gen 9:9) However, most covenants are made by more than one party, in which both parties are supposed to uphold their side of the covenant. I will ______ if you _____.
There are consequences when we break covenant. In Judges 2:1, God had asked the Israelites to break down the false alters to false gods, but they were disobedient and did not tear them down. So, instead of God driving out their enemies from their land of inheritance, their enemies became thorns in their sides and their gods became a snare to them. Okay, so that was kind of a brutal example, but in a nutshell: Life got harder.
Okay, so I didn’t sit down and analyze the word “covenant” before this weekend happened, either.
However, I did think about what I would have done if one of my teammates was in the same situation. I would have done the same thing they did for me: offered grace to stay and do what they thought they needed to do! I probably wouldn’t have thought twice about it! However, I realized after this weekend that when you make choices that honor a covenant, you build trust with the other parties in the covenant. You are showing them that you choose them over other things that mean a lot to you. I know that even though it was unconsciously done, by choosing to be with my team this weekend, it built trust and a stronger commitment within our group to stick together when times get hard rather than fall back to other, already established relationships back home. I’m not negating our relationships with family and friends back home by any means, because they are the family and foundation that we will be returning to very soon! They are still very much a part of our lives and need to be a part of this journey!! My point is this: there is something in the unity of CHOOSING IN that makes saying the initial “I DO” actually mean something.
I said “I DO” to REV 217. They are my family this year.
I would be lying if I said I was completely my happy go lucky self all weekend. We definitely had our moments of fun and laughter and purpose, but I found my mind wandering home to the states quite often. I love that even though we laugh quite often together, it was just as okay that I be sad around them. And they were there for me. It’s community how God intended for it to be. The covenant we share is a binding, God-sealed commitment of a promise to be one with each other; that means in the good times and in the tough times. I can’t imagine not have being with them in the Hill Tribe, even if it meant sacrificing something so close to my heart this weekend.
I know that my life will forever have bittersweet moments. I am always going to have people to miss somewhere in the world when I’m following God’s will for my life. The bonds I have with my family and friends are definitely not faded. If anything, they are much stronger through all of this. By being away from them, God has helped me see them more as He sees them and how He loves them. He’s giving me His heart for the nations; especially my own. My “I DO” with Jesus is of utmost importance. Even when difficult decisions must be made, God has promised the joys of the abundant life when we honor the covenants we have made with other people, especially covenants wrapped in our covenant with Him.
