the beauty of flexibility

This is not the first time I've posted something from my dear friend Emily and it certainly won't be the last. Emily is a dear friend who is living at an orphanage in Port au Prince. Emily's most recent blog post speaks to one of things I love most about Haiti, being in the now. In Haiti, it is impossible to live life any other way, and I love it. Being in Haiti is an opportunity to serve with abandon. Emily wrote this in her inspired post today

"I can be all available because there isn't anything more pressing than right now. Here is here, and if I'm not all here, the unexpected twists that are integral to Haiti would be insufferable."

Thanks for sharing your wisdom with us Em. We love and miss you!

 Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant —not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

2 Corinthisn 3: 4-6

I am so thankful to serve a confident God who calms my heart, helps me to trust and who paved the way! Thank you Lord for the life giving Spirit. I am humbled and joyful while resting in the confidence of Christ. 

Trial by Fire

Tonight I am exhausted and feel pushed to my limit. I trust that support raising is a beautiful part of entering the mission field, I see Christ in it already. God is truly blessing me. There is so much work to be done though. There is so little time and it feels like I'm not going to be within my timeline or reach my financial goals. It is now, when I have heavy eyelids and feel emotionally spent, that I reminded of the beautiful lesson God taught me this weekend. 

I found myself in the book of Daniel this weekend. It was not Daniel's story that God spoke to me through this time, it was the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abendnego. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered that they be thrown in a fiery furnace for not worshipping false gods. The fire was so hot that the flames killed the soldiers who were to throw the three in. In Daniel 3, verses 26 (B) & 27 state this "So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them."

"Came out of the fire.." This portion struck me to the depths of my heart. I thought of a dear friend in a trial and I thought of the trial I find myself in. In reading this passage, I saw nothing but victory. These three men were in the fire and we don't know what happened in there. I have a feeling God was fighting a battle. The men came out unscathed but that doesn't mean the fire did not hurt. I think it was tough and scary, however brief, and in the end they walked out victorious and healed. I believe that the fire will be calmed soon and I will have a miraculous story to tell about how God showed up.

This season is one of trial by fire for my life, and I am grateful for it. God is requiring all of my strength and He is giving me an incredible story to tell. That is all I want, to use every ounce of energy for His kingdom and to tell His story. Tonight, tired eyes and all I fall to my knees praying for the strength and assurance that only our God can provide. 

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Lamentations 3: 22-27

Thankful for and resting in these promises found is Scripture. Great is thy faithfulness.