Seven months ago, when we left America, I started to feel really overwhelmed with how under qualified I felt to go on the World Race. As my parents left me in Atlanta at launch, my dad reminded me of a simple fact that has stuck with me ever since: no one who has been called to do God’s work was cut out for it. It was with God’s strength that they were able to pursue His mission and partner with Him in His work. All it took was a “yes.”
One thing that I’ve been continuously learning over the past seven months is that God’s power is made perfect in my weaknesses.
I am not qualified, yet He equips me.
If you look throughout Scripture, you will see that God has a history of calling the unlikely characters, the ill-equipped.
God uses those who you would not expect.
He uses barren women and prostitutes. He uses deceivers and doubters.
He choses those who society overlooks.
He chose Abraham to father a nation at 100 years old.
He chose Jesse’s youngest son, David, to be king.
He chose Leah, the wife Jacob did not chose, to carry on Abraham’s blessing.
He used Moses, even when he doubted himself.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
In the last seven months, it is the moments where I claimed His strength as my own, that I’ve seen Him work most powerfully.
It is where I have said “yes” and did the thing that scared me anyways.
In India, I saw him at work in the overwhelming peace He gave me when I stepped up to speak at a children’s home.
In Cambodia, I was uncomfortable stepping into an English classroom with no materials and students of varying skill levels. Yet, God used me to help strengthen a young girl named Li May’s faith.
In Vietnam, God gave me the courage to approach and befriend strangers.
Over the past seven months, I’ve grown in my ability to say “yes” and act in obedience to the Lord.
And, I’m learning to be interruptible.
God calls us to be mission minded. He doesn’t want us to limit His message and His love to a set aside time frame, but to live a life that points others towards Him.
God qualifies us all for this task. Are we willing to say yes and see where it leads?
Are we willing to be obedient even if we don’t get to see the results immediately, or even at all? Our host in India, told of how the gospel spread through his whole village and the surrounding villages because of the way his mom faithfully served at a children’s home. Just telling kids bible stories at night made a huge impact in the community.
And in just the past two weeks, God has been doing incredible things here in Rwanda as we have prayed over the sick, preached and taught English.
But, I think the most beautiful thing this month for me has been watching my team function as the body of Christ and be His hands and feet.
We each have our own things to bring to the table.
I love watching Janine smile as our hosts open the thank you cards and chocolate that she helped prepare for them after our first week, or hold babies and entertain children with yet another movie.
Or Kyle help neighbors push their bicycles loaded with water containers up the hill next to our house or talk with people at the hospital.
Or Matt work long hours piecing together a promotional video to help support of host’s project, or make coffee for others.
I love knowing that Ashley is interceding on our behalf, and I love her gentle servant heart.
I love watching Tate patiently correct kindergarteners as they spell their words backwards or help nurse a baby bird back to health or patiently work out the little details with our host.
I saw the body in action this month in the way we opened our door to a young girl who was hungry and fed her, clothed her, gave her a blanket and walked her home with extra water.
And in the way we cared for a young boy with an infection in his leg, made sure he got medical care and are working to provide him with an education, clothes and food. Some of you may have seen here at lunch yesterday.
While we might not always feel like we have a lot to offer, collectively as the body we can make a difference if we all act out of obedience.
