I wrote all about it in my own personal "blog" and shared with 3 different churches coming home all about my journey there. I decided to read it today to reflect on what God was prepping me for and I came across this excerpt. It was my last thoughts coming home. (sorry its a bit long)
I longed for that life. A life solely dependent on the Lord, a life where I can see His hand at work everyday, to watch Him answer the hardest of prayers, to have him provide for every need, heal every sickness. A life of true Faith! A life where flying to Uganda is not the biggest step of faith I ever experience but that everyday would require faith and trust in my God!
I am so grateful that by His grace God chose to take me out of my everyday circumstances, my mundane day to day, my luke warm, mediocre Christian walk and place before me the biblical and scriptural examples of a life lived by FAITH. I felt as though the God of the universe picked me up out of America in the present and placed me into The Word of God. Lives lived in biblical times. People who relate to His word so matter of factly because that is the life they live. It makes sense to them. I witnessed the church of Acts, the people Paul encouraged during the start of the church, the first set of missionaries.
My question now coming home for myself and I ask this of you. How do we as believers in America 2010 live in such a way that our actions, our speech, our very being screams the name of Jesus Christ? Do we cry out to our Father as if we could not finish the day without Him? Do we beg for His presence every morning? Are we so dependent on His spirit working in our lives that we cannot function without Him? And are we actively praising our God for EVERY GOOD THING? Or more so are we actively praising God for every hardship and trial? Or do we even understand what taking up our cross and following him looks like? Are we doing what the word of God asks? Are we caring for the orphans and the widows? Are we giving till it hurts? Are we living a life of Christ like Faith? I know for me I don’t want to waste another day! I want what they are having. I selfishly want to get up and go cause I know their blessings will be far greater then mine!
I’m not sure if God will one day call us to move to Uganda or anywhere outside of America for that matter, so as I wait on His timing and His purpose my prayer will be that God will teach me and show me how to change my culture, how to live differently here in America, how to live a life of faith in an otherwise faithless land, how to not just fit God in where it works but be a living sacrifice holy and pleasing to God!
I have told several friends after coming home that I believed God was prepping me for something BIG. I couldn't put my finger on what it was but He was weeding out my sin, not letting me become comfortable, allowing beautiful women to pour truth into my life, and changing my plans for "His". John and I joked that He was prepping me for a "girl" and needless to say that is true. But I am beginning to see a glimpse of the picture. IT may not be the whole picture, this season may still be a stepping stone but He knew this was coming and He has been prepping me all along! Praise HIM!
-CRISTIN
Cristin, i sent a message to John on Facebook, I don't know if he got it, but yes I believe God has called you to something BIG. I am so in agreement with you, so excited, and yet my heart is aching and crying for you as I hold my breath in anticipation. Loving that you walk hand in hand with a loving God. Praying for you as you run this race. God designed Ruby Jean specifically in your womb perfectly to do the work HE wants to do through her and your family! Praying for you... stand firm and rejoice! Tami
ReplyDeletePraising God for His sovereignty over your life, over Ruby's life. I'm so proud of you, for leaning into this, for being teachable. You are a beautiful woman. Our God is good. He shines through your life.
ReplyDeleteAt the women's gathering last Saturday one of the elder's wives wrote a verse on the board about beauty. She said almost all the references in the Bible she found for the subject of beauty referred to something like this: "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness". I'd never noticed it before, that holiness is beauty to God. That when He makes all things beautiful, it includes making them holy, and that the fiery trials that purify and pain us are making us more holy and more beautiful, so that we can worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. I'm so encouraged every time I hear your heart, that God isn't letting you go, and that you'll still be His in everything that hurts you, and that He'll make it beautiful. There's so much hope here.
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