I've always wanted to serve on the missions field. To serve in a remote village in Africa or any country really. It's been a desire that not many people understand. That deep longing to be sent and used in any which way that the Lord would please.
Did I have my concerns? Yes. My main concern being, if I'm completely honest, that I would remain single for the rest of my life because no one would want to marry a girl who wants to live in the middle of nowhere. That fear however never kept me from wanting to go. I was always waiting for the next adventure. For the next place the Lord would take me. However, in doing that I was missing everything that the Lord had in store for me at that point in time. I was willing to travel the world for the Lord, however I found myself struggling to stay put for the Lord. You see, the desire to serve on the missions field was becoming greater than my desire to simply serve the Lord. I thought I knew what was best. I thought I had it all under control. Boy oh boy was I wrong. As I am writing this I cant help but laugh at the way I thought. Like seriously, who am I to think that I have my life under control. I remember attending a missions planning meeting for my church. We met, discussed, planned, ate, prayed, and fellowship. I was talking to a friend after the meeting and explaining how I was so ready for the Lord to send me somewhere, anywhere really. I was pouring out my heart when I was stopped mid-sentence. This friend looked at me with all sincerity and asked 'What if the Lord was to never send you abroad again? What if He has you serving in La Habra for the rest of your life?' I left that meeting petrified. How could someone even ask me that question? The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I had idolized the missions field. I broke down that night and in my brokenness I asked the Lord for forgiveness. I knew I had to surrender that desire. I had to learn that life, wherever the Lord had me at the moment, was my missions field. Was my desire to serve on the missions field bad? Not at all. What was bad about it, was the fact that I had allowed it to become an idol. I had allowed that desire to overtake what the Lord was trying to do and in that I had placed my desire over His. It was one of the hardest things I had to do. To say 'Here Lord, take this desire and do with it what you please.' After I did that, I accepted La Habra as my missions field. My heart started to change for the people in my city, for the youth, for my church family. They became my missions field and I have been so blessed by them. "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21) The wanting to serve in a foreign country had to be taken away, so that the fullness of the Lord could be received. So now I ask you, is there something that you are holding on to so tightly that is keeping you from the blessings that the Lord has in store? I won't lie to you, the letting go process is painful and at times it doesn't seem worth it but it is. The Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to serve abroad. Was I expecting it? Not at all, but that's how great our God is. He simply wants to be first in our lives. Allow Him be first in your life. It's only then that you can learn to fully trust Him, His timing, His plan and His will for our us. Do not become discouraged but be encourage because the Creator of the Universe has called you His own and knows exactly what you need when you need it. Serve Him faithfully, wherever He has you in this moment. Make life your ministry.
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AuthorJust a girl who wants nothing but to serve Jesus. Archives
May 2018
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A day in the life