Ephesians 3:8-9. "To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in god who created all things.
Romans 8:18 "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us."
When you first hear about the WR you get this idea in your head as to what it will look like. When reading blogs of people on the field, you get this anticpation and excitement of what could happen, of what it looks like to heal the sick, raise the dead, spread the gospel and everything else associated with an 11-month, 11-country missions trip.
And then you get on the field. And the first 3 months are great. They are comfortable, easy, abundant and completely blessed. You eat well, you live in luxury with the ocean at your front door, ceiling fans, heated blankets, sunshine and so on. And you start to get depressed. Where is the excitement you signed up for? The abandonment you desire, the "sufferings for the kingdom" you crave?! Where are the ridiculous travel days?! The eating weird things all the time? Living in the bush? Crazy spiritual warfare?
For me, most of these things have not happened yet. And I've been disappointed. Once again those expectations that I thought I got rid of show up again and steal the show. I've not been living in the moment, embracing it for what it is. Instead I focus more on what I think it should look like instead of realizing that God has me here for a specific reason; that i am going through what I am going through, with the people that i'm going through it with for a purpose.
God didn't just throw me together with these people as an after thought. He specifically put me here, in Incaia, Mozambique with Dusty, Jenn, Michelle, Francis, Ann & Raquel for a reason. It's no coincidence that I've opened up with each of these people prior to being on a team with them. It's no coincidence that parts of our stories overlap with each other's stories, too. Everything I've gone through in life has led up to this moment today.
And the same is true for you. God made you. He created you. He breathed life into you. He knew you before you were born and has great plans for you. You are not a mistake, you are not an after-thought. You were specifically planned out, your life is measured. The things you go through are not in vain. The experiences you've had define you, make you into who you are. If one thing had changed, you would be a completely different person. The good, the bad, the hard, the easy, the discouraging, the uplifting- EVERYTHING HAS PURPOSE.
One of my favorite sayings is "I am who I am by the grace of God." It's through God's grace that you're alive, that those things you went through: depression, suicidal thoughts, near-death experiences, joys, frustrations, divorce, losing family members, adoption, good family lives, EVERYTHING has made you who you are.
Embrace that today, as my prayer is that you see life through God's eyes. Through the miracle of life, through hope and joy. Understanding. Promise. Future. Past. Meditate on God's grace, his sovereignty today. You are loved.
