tears.
frustration.
confusion.
sadness.
repeat a few times.
& now — peace and thanksgiving.
A little over 24 hours ago X squad was still eagerly getting excited to see our parents in two weeks in Ecuador. PVT (Parent Vision Trip) has always been an excitement with the race. Your parents come on the field with you for a week. They get to experience what we have been doing for the past eight months. We get to do life with them while having a familiar piece of home after eight months of being gone. We were day dreaming what it would be like to do ministry with our parents, what crazy stories we wanted to share, and what goodies from home they were packing to bring to us.
With one simple message saying PVT was canceled, I watched my squad mates hearts sink and tears flow.
I could feel my eyes fill with tears as I messaged my mom the news.
When I woke up this morning and it was in fact not a dream, all I wanted was the hug I was going to get from my mom in two weeks. But instead, she is still 8,700 miles away and two weeks quickly turned into another three months.
But the thing about the Father is He knows exactly how we are feeling, what we are going through, and of course, He meets us exactly where we are. This morning I didn’t get a hug from my mom, but I got a good ol hug from my Heavenly Father.
In times like this there is a lot of unknown. A lot of questions like: Will we stay on the field? Will we go to South America? Will we go home? And we have very little answers with the continuous changes happening back home. With the unknown a lot of fear has been going around. I could sit in this sadness and captivate the fear that is escalating every day, but instead I turn to the Father. As I sat with the Lord this morning I asked Him to give me the truths. I asked for Him to speak life over me and this situation we are in.
Philippians 4:6-7 says, “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Isaiah 41:10 says, “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
2 Timothy 1:7 says, “for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
What do I get from all of these verses?
prayer
thanksgiving
peace
fear not
power
perfect love
As X squad waits in anticipation for what’s to come, I’m sitting with the Father in overflowing with tears of His goodness and resting in these truths. Join me in prayer as we pray these truths over Thailand, X-Squad, AIM, every squad who are still on the field right now, every squad who unfortunately are heading home, every single person across every nation being impacted by corona. Let us step up to be the pillars of peace and prayer that we are called to be.
Whether I get to hug my mom and dad in a week, one month, or the end of June, right now, I’m just soaking in this time hugging the Father in Thailand.
