“What’s the biggest thing you’ve learned since being in the Dominican Republic?”
I was asked that this morning after breakfast while sitting at a table in our patio dining location. I currently have somewhat of a little digestive bacteria infection, so this morning I had to stay back from ministry, which was a bummer, but also it gave me a whole morning to rest and think more on what the Lord has been doing in my life personally since being here. The more I’ve thought about the question, the more I’ve been overwhelmed with giving one answer. I’ve had a good bit of time now though, so I’m going to give it shot…
The one word that I keep going back to when I think about my time here is “trust”. Trust in the Lord. Not trust in the world or anything of my flesh, but only in the Lord. Trust is used do much. Actually I can pretty confidently say it’s overused. Used to the point that it doesn’t hold as much value as the meaning behind it. I think real trust is slightly terrifying. I mean it should be at least. Real trust means being just as confident with your hands fully off the steering wheel of your life as you are with them on. Trust in the LORD means being even more confident with your life in His hands rather than your own. The more we trust the more He will prove to us that His plan is overwhelmingly better than ours could ever be. When I think over my time in the DR, I realize that if I had planned it, half of the challenges and beautiful moments that I’ve experienced wouldn’t have been part of this story.
I’m going to give a couple examples of what the Lord has used over the past 6 weeks. Entering into month 8, two of the guys decided it was best for them to head home. That felt like a massive blow. When that first became a reality, I had no idea what the Lord was doing. I knew he was working, but it sure did seem like a stumbling block at the time. Would I have ever picked team changes during the last country of my race? Absolutely not. Did it end up being used for the glory of the Lord? Yes, so much more than I could’ve envisioned. The Lord used it to grow relationship and build trust amongst other people in my squad. He used it to expose hurt and lies that needed to be healed. He used it to bring the squad together in a way we’ve never experienced. He used it for good. So much more good than I could’ve guessed.
I also want to use my teammate Ben as an example. Ben sprained his ankle week two of being in the DR. That seemed like such an unnecessary slow down not only for him, but for the rest of our team who strongly desired to see him well and on the field alongside us. We prayed for healing multiple times, but ultimately knew that the Lord’s timing was best. Not only did Ben end up learning so much through that time, but he was able to be at the base interceding for us constantly as we were out evangelizing. I had no idea how important that was until I was out in the field myself. Some of the people we speak to and the the things we experience are incredibly heavy. We pray before we leave, but having someone interceding for us and praying for protection and strength while we’re out, is SUCH a blessing. God knew.
I could go on for a good long while with examples of what my flesh would have picked, but what the Lord ended up redeeming. The point is, trust in the father is so incredibly important. Trust that if we live in the moment, pursuing Christ, and consider our life in Him a victory, we are doing the Lord’s will. If we rejoice in everything going on, and continue to trust in His plan rather than our own, we will experience life to the fullest. Life abundant. I recently made a video about this topic, and I’d love to share it with you guys! It’s on my instagram as well, so chances are, you’ve already seen it if you follow me on social media, but here it is! Basically it’s a visual behind a quote that I received about 2 years ago. Moriah sent it to me one night because the topic was heavy on her mind, and it’s stuck with me ever since. So all credit of the voice over goes straight to her, she’s a heck of a writer… God knows what’s best for you in the moment. His timing is best. His plan is best. He is a loving father. He cares. He fights for you. Life passes so fast. I mean I’m only a month away from being finished with the race, but there’s still SO much that the Lord has in mind. SO much He has planned ever day, and that’s what the point of this blog is. Trust in the Lord. Trust in His plan rather than your own. He’s not waiting for next month, He’s living now.
Love you guys!
