Now that we were back safe in Lima and God had my full attention; it came time for all the other things God wanted to work on in my life. Things like approval of man, where I find my comfort, why I’m here.
Journal entry from 3/10/13
“I feel like God put me through a special training camp. Weather it was to get ahead of the game or catch up to whatever or whoever I don’t care. I’m just glad God did it, and that He took the time to sit me down and work on me and allow some time to spend with Him. He definitely spent some time with me.”
Out of all the works God did in me those five or six days the one that probably helped the most was how He helped me communicate and grow closer to my friend and teammate Jan. Jan and I are extreme opposites if there ever were any. He likes long bus rides through Peru. Me? Not so much. He’s an extreme thinker I’m an extreme feeler. You can imagine what God had in store for our communication skills for each other. I had to rely on Jan for just about all communication with the locals, food vendors, bus ticket salesman, taxi drivers, you name it. On top of that if we ever ran into conflict with each other how to problem solve without saying what we didn’t mean or poor delivery. We had to learn from each other, and for me it was a matter of admitting when I was wrong and actually saying it out loud. It was also a matter of being able to apologize and be patient and keep in mind what God had for me in this.
As we were planning out trip back, more and more I got excited about seeing the whole team again. Slowly I was forgetting the lessons of patients and giving up control. I would go over ETA’s and how long bus rides would take with Jan over and over to try and find some form of mental false comfort. When we got to the bus station in La Paz this all sort of fell apart when I found out we had to wait another few hours to get a bus ride that would a arrive at a safe our in Vinto, Bolivia. I was livid. We were so close and yet so far away. The lesson had to continue because I still had to learn it. I’m still in the learning process of giving up control and having patients. The point is to see what God has for you in the situation and to see how to buy in to His plan. It may not always be something fun or exciting, but it is something that will sharpen you and form you more into the image of Christ. My feedback for my audience is that I encourage you, next time your stuck in traffic or late to a meeting or in aany situation where God has taken the control from your hands, to buy in to whatever it is He’s doing. Let Him shape and mold you into what He wants you to be, more like Christ.
Be Blessed,
Steven Buffington
