Expectations
I haven’t been too great about blogging, so as I was at home this evening this thought came to my mind.
First off, I would like to say that I am already blessed with is a great group of guys and girls who I will not only be spending nine months with, but have also had the chance to get to know before we leave, and I’m sure those friendships will remain long after the trip. I really can’t emphasize enough how excited that makes me. They are such an incredible group of people who have already been encouraging in so many ways that they don’t even know. We’ve been able to talk over Facebook and sometimes Skype, which has been so great. We’ll talk about a wide variety of things from our backgrounds to our favorite movies, but there’s always times where we talk about our excitement for the trip and the things we dream of doing. We talk about riding elephants, playing soccer, and even better, we talk about what kind of amazing things God can do for us on this trip. It kind of reminds me of a friend of mine who was going back to college early this semester to rush for a sorority.
She was leaving a week early and was a little stressed because she knew that God had a purpose for her when she got there, but was unsure of what that may look like. Through prayer, as the time got closer, she had found a sorority that really spoke to her, and she felt that it would be a perfect fit. First day of Rush, they declined her. Just like that. Sure enough, she stuck with it and found a new home as she puts it. It was by no means what she had expected as she went in, but it’s what God had in mind. And that is what makes me incredibly excited.
I know for myself, I have these expectations of how I think God will move through me and the kind of man I’ll be when I get back. Sure I don’t know it by every detail, but I can picture it all so well. I imagine what it will be like as I bond with my team and as I grow closer with God through devotionals and ministry. But what I don’t consider is how God is just going to shatter those expectations to make room for bigger ones. Why? Because He is so much greater than I can imagine. It’s really an incredible thing to think about. I can think about the times where I’ll be laughing with my team or those “Instagram Moments” as they call it when we get the opportunity to do amazing things like riding elephants. However, I don’t consider the times when I’m fighting or annoyed with a teammate, or when I feel so drained from ministry and it’s just a Monday. Those are the days that God can really use to grow us and shape our characters, and I’m so excited about that.
As always, if any of you want to talk about what I’m doing or maybe what God is doing in your life, I would love to meet up or just give me a call! 303-588-4232
Thank you all so much for your support so far, it means so much to me!
God Bless,
Thomas Dean
