I have run into a strange problem in my life at this point in the Race. I have become so accustomed to blowing up my comfort zone that I’m starting to feel guilty in the times that God blesses me. The enemy puts the lie into my head that if I’m not crashing on my sleeping pad every night or my clothes get washed in a machine instead of a bucket, I’m not truly living out this World Race and somehow the kingdom is suffering from my comfort. Instead of thanking God for the blessings He has given me, I catch myself speaking death over them in my head and sometimes from my mouth. That’s a bunch of BS though. God calls us into every season of our lives. It is what we do with them that makes the difference.
Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” We all know this verse because it is slapped, right next to the Jesus fish, on bumpers across America, or on cute plaques in our kitchens. I think most of us have the meaning of this verse wrong though. I don’t think if you jump off of your roof, God is going to make you fly like Superman. It’s possible, but unlikely, and it is definitely not what Paul was saying when he wrote this. When you read the whole chapter, the word “do” can be better translated to the word “endure”. If you simply go back one verse and read the two verses together you will understand the true meaning of what Paul is saying to the church in Philippi. Philippians 4:12 and 4:13 together say “I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Paul is speaking of enduring both the hard times and the good times. I’m writing about this, not to shame people of their bumper sticker Christianity, but to show that the problem I’m having with accepting seasons of blessing is a problem that even the early Apostolic Church faced. The enemy has been shaming people for seasons of plenty from the start. Otherwise, why would Paul even have to write about enduring abundance.
God calls us into a vast array of situations in our Christian walk. Each month on the Race He has called my teams somewhere completely different from the months before or the months to come. Sometimes He will ask us to give up every bit of our comfort and sleep in a steaming hot field full of mosquitoes in Botswana. Sometimes it’s a comfortable bed in a ginormous house in Guatemala. It’s what we do with those circumstances that matters to God. How is He being glorified in each seasons? Is the kingdom being advanced? Can we maintain a thankful heart in the uncomfortable times as well as in the times of comfort? Job 1:21 says “…The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job blessed the name of the Lord and glorified his name in all circumstances. We should do the same. The seasons of our life are constantly changing, but God stays the same and should be glorified regardless of the situation.
This month my team has entered into a season of abundance. God has brought us from the cold grayness of Eastern Europe to the colorful paradise that is Monjas, Guatemala. We are living the nicest house I have seen since leaving America almost ten months ago. The kitchen is stocked with more food than we could possibly eat, and we are constantly being poured into by our host and the other missionaries here. Seriously, right now I’m writing this blog while sitting in a hammock under a mango tree and sipping some of the best coffee I have ever tasted. There is a voice in my head telling me that I should be feeling guilty about this. The voice says that people paid good money to support me so that I could be a constant sacrificial lamb this year and live in constant squalor. I’m rebuking that voice though. Instead of listening to that lie, I’m thanking God for the blessings he has given me this year.
John 10:10 says “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus didn’t free me from the bondage of addiction so I could just get wrapped up in the bondage of shame for the blessings He has given me. The enemy wants to steal my joy, kill my spirit, and destroy my connection to the Holy Spirit. How could I possibly hear the voice of the shepherd when I’m constantly focused on the howling of the wolf? The call on my life is to live so that people see Christ in me and want what I have. While I know that my life will probably never include the ownership of a Porsche or a yacht, I’m called to live so that people can see the joy of the Lord in all occasions. That is what it looks like to live a life to the full. Later this month my team has been given free access to a beach house in El Salvador. Someone owns the house and uses it to bless missionaries with a place to unwind and get filled. When we get to this beach house in a couple of weeks the first thing I am going to do is walk out into the sand, drop to my knees and thank God for such a wonderful blessing. Then I’m going to enjoy a couple of days of R&R with my team without shame, because, like Paul, I can endure all things through Christ who strengthens me. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I pray an abundance of blessings over each of your lives. Love Y’all!!!
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