Good gifts... and other random thoughts :)

Hey friends!!

Today is a LOVELY sunny day – seriously, it’s beautiful here! It’s actually very much on the warm side… which is uncharacteristic for July, but I love it!

Life here is good – busy, somehow, but I’m loving it! Time is going by so fast: last week the BFI team was here for a day, and it was SO great to connect with them for some ministry time at MH! They had some great things to share/impart to the MH kids, and it was fun to see them jump in with two feet and eagerly desire to learn more! It was also wonderful to connect with BFI friends – even more so ‘cuz we were in Africa!

Recently, I’ve been contemplating: things of value and worth usually come at a high price. But how often do I expect things of eternal value to come easily or without a fight? We are called to pay the ultimate price – to lay down our lives, take up our cross, and follow Him. Yet, so often, I get frustrated when I discover that the things the Lord has asked of me aren’t easy to accomplish. Usually, they require stretching and growing – they are uncomfortable and hard, but in the end SO worth it. Things of beauty and strength, I feel, are produced from refining fires and testing experiences. Strength does not develop from easy tasks; rather, it comes from continually working at something that is just beyond the current skill or strength level. And beauty and purity – they come from refining fires and (sometimes painful) removal of that which corrupts and stains. And is that not what the Lord desires? To give us clean hands and pure hearts? He loves us as we are, but completely refuses to let us stay there… He constantly desires, working with our “yes’s,” to mold us and shape us, making us more like Him. And His ultimate goals and plans are eternal – which means they will often be achieved at a high price. SO – if the Lord is continually desiring to grow me and mold me, and He is constantly asking me to choose that which is in His ETERNAL plan – the road is often hard. Thankfully, though, that’s not the end of the story (whew… if so, I think I would have turned in the towel a long time ago!). He promises to be with me, every step of the way. He promises to equip me to do that which He has called me. He promises to provide, protect, and lead… AMAZING! Each day, He invites me to walk with Him – it’s glorious. Every second, He has been here – He’s NEVER left my side! I cannot say that about a single friend – simply because as humans we just can’t be perfect like that.

So, I’m thankful for the wonderful gifts – the fulfillment of His promises – the Lord sends each day. He sends His joy, His peace, His protection, His strength – and, above all, He sends His presence. I’m loving this life – despite it’s challenges and struggles, despite sometimes wondering how on earth He got the idea that I could do some of the things He’s asked, despite the fact that it is sometimes hard – it is SO worth it. Worth it because I get to love on HIS kids – I love watching them laugh and learn and seek. Worth it because I get to hear story after story of those He has created – it’s amazing to realize that hearts can connect despite continents or languages or cultures. And in the end, I’d rather take the narrow, difficult path and affect eternity that choose the easy road and get by on time.

This has been a semi-random update – but I suppose that a blog is just an online journal… right? Thanks for letting me share my heart – and thanks for praying :) You are amazing, and I’m SO thankful for you! I’ll leave you with this thought from Elizabeth Elliot (from Let Me Be a Woman):

“But we do not choose gifts, remember? We are given them by a divine Giver who knows the end from the beginning, and wants above all else to give us the gift of Himself. This gift for this day. The life of faith is lived one day at a time, and it has to be lived – not always looked forward to as thought the ‘real’ living were around the next corner. It is today for which we are responsible. God still owns tomorrow.”