No fear in love
I have been reading a book recently written by a friend of mine (you can read her blog and secure a copy of her book here). It chronicles the first couple of years of the missionary journey that she and her husband have been on for more than 25 years now. I have followed along as she shares her fears and her faith; her pain and her joy. She writes honestly about the "culture collisions" that were part of her routine as she learned to cook, bathe her children, do laundry and keep her house clean in the rain forest of Liberia just a few degrees above the equator. I have been inspired by the courage of the couple as they conquered new forms of food; new modes of transportation and faced challenges that I have never faced. I'm thankful for Kim's honest revelation of her reactions to the various situations they endured, because I can much more readily imagine myself there knowing that I wouldn't be alone in my struggles.
Mostly, I'm thankful for people like Jeff and Kim who have served the Lord with reckless abandon in some of the most challenging places on the planet. I have many other friends who have done the same.
As I have had time to think during the week that I am enjoying at the seashore; I have remembered that wherever God calls us there are challenges. Sometimes he uses those challenges to humble us and to teach us how to accomplish his will right where we are. Sometimes he uses those challenges to move us to another place to serve him. He did that with my friend and her family...twice. They had to flee Liberia and then, a few years later, the Ivory Coast. All the time, God uses the challenges and changes in our lives to draw us to himself, giving us the opportunity to grow in our trust and be strengthened in our ministry capacity.
Along those lines, I'm reminded of the challenge from the Scriptures that "perfect love casts out fear" (I John 4:18). Commonly we think that if we just had more trust in God, we'd have less fear. The reality is that if we understood the love of our Heavenly Father better, our fear would be reduced. It's like our kids; they demonstrate less fear when they understand that we love them so much that we would never do anything to them that would harm them.
I hope you are thankful today for God's unconditional love for you. Let it drive out your fears today and try living with a little reckless abandon like my missionary friends. After all; you are a missionary in the community and culture in which you live.
Mostly, I'm thankful for people like Jeff and Kim who have served the Lord with reckless abandon in some of the most challenging places on the planet. I have many other friends who have done the same.
As I have had time to think during the week that I am enjoying at the seashore; I have remembered that wherever God calls us there are challenges. Sometimes he uses those challenges to humble us and to teach us how to accomplish his will right where we are. Sometimes he uses those challenges to move us to another place to serve him. He did that with my friend and her family...twice. They had to flee Liberia and then, a few years later, the Ivory Coast. All the time, God uses the challenges and changes in our lives to draw us to himself, giving us the opportunity to grow in our trust and be strengthened in our ministry capacity.
Along those lines, I'm reminded of the challenge from the Scriptures that "perfect love casts out fear" (I John 4:18). Commonly we think that if we just had more trust in God, we'd have less fear. The reality is that if we understood the love of our Heavenly Father better, our fear would be reduced. It's like our kids; they demonstrate less fear when they understand that we love them so much that we would never do anything to them that would harm them.
I hope you are thankful today for God's unconditional love for you. Let it drive out your fears today and try living with a little reckless abandon like my missionary friends. After all; you are a missionary in the community and culture in which you live.
Comments
Post a Comment