That's our goal now and going into the next several weeks. Keeping that original confidence that got us excited to leave the boat.
We've started to sink at times.
Peter, when Jesus told him to come walk to Him on the water, started out with complete confidence, but after he left the boat and took the first few perilous steps, he noticed the contrary winds and started to sink (Matthew 14). "Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
How good are you at maintaining excitement and resolve through difficulties and doubt?
If you're like me, I'm always excited to leave the boat. I usually have enough faith to make the decision to follow the Lord and to step out of the boat. Because I'm excited! But once I get on the water and the monotony of life or the difficulties of life start to overshadow the excitement, then I begin to ask questions. "Does the Lord really want me to serve him in this way?" "Should I do something different?" It's at this moment that we begin to sink.
As faithful servants, we should stay resolved, keeping our eyes on Jesus and our mission. Proverbs 16:3 says, "Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established."
Remember the joy we had when we first became Christians? Like the man that immediately went and sold everything he had out of joy to buy the field? (Matthew 13:44) However, sometimes the challenge lies in maintaining that initial excitement. Think about the end result of letting your enthusiasm die out. In Revelation 2, the church at Ephesus was judged for losing their first love. They lost that initial zeal!
If we're truly on the path of doing something extraordinary for the Lord's church, then every day will be a challenge to maintain that initial excitement and keep the faith. But Jesus extends His hand to us. He keeps us from sinking. He asks, "Why is your faith so small?"
Contrary Winds
The moment we decided to go into missions full-time, life started getting interesting. First was Garrison's surgery. The surgery was expected and planned. What wasn't expected were all the complications and the month spent in the hospital. (Thank God, he's doing wonderful now!)
Next we had to get the house packed and ready for closing with a high maintenance baby. Alexis did an amazing job here! But, Murphy's Law, as soon as we put the house on the market, it begins falling apart! Not a problem for 3 years, and then A/C stops working, oven stops working, shower breaks, garage door breaks, and on and on.
We couldn't help wondering if we were making the right decision. With additional house expenses, concern for Garrison's long-term medical expenses, and just simply having difficultly raising funds for basic expenses, we have doubt every day.
But, we have no room for complaining. God has helped us through every single obstacle we've faced. Garrison is home now - happy and healthy! We closed on the house last week. And perhaps the greatest demonstration of God's love is the encouragement we receive from the church. So many have told us what an inspiration we are for them. When we're told that we're doing something they were never able to do or never had the faith to do, it impresses on us how important it is to lift our heads up and move forward!
Pressing On
There are many things we have to look forward to on this new journey. Last week, we closed on our house and moved our stuff out to Denver. On unload day, we got flooded with love. Students, teachers and friends of Bear Valley showed up, en mass, to help us unload!
We cannot wait to become part of the family there. To get to know new Christians and to learn from them. To be able to encourage other fellow workers. To be able to grow our family spiritually by digging in deeper to God's Word.
We have a mission to look forward to. We're excited! And with the Lord's help, we're going to stay excited, grab his hand, and... not sink!
Praying for all