I’ve decided I never want to be the president of an
organization, general of an army, the leader of a nation, the big man (or
woman) on top—there is just way too many meetings with those jobs. Much better, put me on the ground, in the
field, on the streets doing something with my hands and feet—teaching,
learning, making, growing. But, alas,
God has other plans for me this month.
My week has been booked with meetings nearly every evening,
meetings with our kids for the soccer court project Bola Bola. As I mentioned in
a previous post, there are three work committees (promotion, donations, and
governmental support) that meet weekly and a coordination team that meets
bi-weekly. Guiss, Rachel and I are “in
charge” of one group each as well as meet with the coordination team—this way
we are all involved but don’t have to be in charge of every aspect of the different
groups. However, Rachel is gone this
month so Guiss and I have to cover her team.
I know, this sounds like no big deal.
Just one more meeting a week, you may say. Lies.
Her team essentially is a team to set up meetings with governmental
bodies each week to gain permission and support. So it’s a meeting to make more meetings. Let’s just say I can’t wait until Rachel is
back in the country again because I miss her so much :) And the whole meeting thing wouldn’t be so
terribly bad, if everyone showed up and did what they were supposed to do that
is… it’s hard to get anything done when kids skip meetings, when governmental
representatives cancel meetings last second, and when people just don’t follow
through. My daily frustration and disappointment are apparent… but there is
only so much I can do. I can’t make
anyone do anything. I can only be there
to encourage and to push and to support and I fear at this point it’s an uphill
battle. But I shall grit my teeth, put
that smile back on, and face this battlefield head on.
The kids I work with are great, don’t get me wrong :) But they are kids. Learning, growing, making mistakes, missing
meetings, goofing around, and not paying attention are all part of the job
description. As you can probably tell,
my week has been a long and arduous one, filled with challenges and “failures”. As such, my faith has been tested daily,
forcing me to either rely fully on the strength and wisdom of God or attempt to
do it all myself. Thankfully, God is a
patient and loving God who never leaves me when I stray and always catches me
when I stumble. Each and every morning
he sends me a gentle reminder of His Presence through my devotions, that even
before I begin my day He is there beside me.
So no matter what battlefield or warzone I find myself in on that day,
He is already there working with me through it.
What a comfort and joy it is to know that I don’t have to rely on my
weak and fallible self! To me, it is no
wonder that people without faith live such depressing and shallow lives—they place
too much faith in themselves and, when they are disappointed by their own failures
and missteps, depression and apathy become instant companions. I thank God that He has spared me from such torture.
I would like to close by sharing the words of Sarah Young
once again, from the devotional for April 5 in Jesus Calling:
“Let Me fill you with my Love, Joy, and
Peace. These are Glory-gifts, flowing
from my living Presence. Though you are
an earthen vessel, I designed you to
be filled with heavenly contents. Your weakness
is not a deterrent to being filled with My Spirit; on the contrary, it provides
an opportunity for My Power to shine forth more brightly.
As you go through this day, trust Me to
provide the strength that you need moment by moment. Don’t waste energy wondering whether you are
adequate for today’s journey. My Spirit
within you is more than sufficient to handle whatever this day may bring. That is the basis for your confidence! In quietness
(spending time alone with Me), and
confident trust (relying on My sufficiency) is your strength.”
I ask that you please pray for me this week: that I rely on
God and on His Strength, for my patience and understanding to be in abundance,
and that I can find joy despite the many challenges. Thank you for all your support and stay tuned
until next time!
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