In these last couple weeks the Lord has been teaching me a lot. I'd like to take some time and share it with you. :)
Ever since accepting the trip of "The World Race" starting next January (2014), I had been sulking in God's will. I know that this is where God is leading me and couldn't be MORE EXCITED but in the midst of that excitement I have been left really sad knowing I'm leaving these dearly loved people in a couple months.
This is what I've been fighting against:
I don't want to live in the states for 6 months!
I don't want to leave these people I love!
I don't want to leave this school!
I don't want to leave these students!
I don't want to leave this country!
I don't want to leave this daily fresh baked cheap bread!
I don't want to leave this delicious fruit!
I don't want to leave this culture!
I don't want to leave this language!
The truth is after every church service ever since I accepted "the race" I return home around 2 p.m. and just start crying because it hurts me to know I will not be seeing these dearly loved people for a while. Thankfully each Sunday that goes by it gets easier to accept the fact that I'm not returning next year.
A couple Sundays ago I was sitting in church and the Lord gave me this: Delight in My Will.
I wrote it down and took a moment to think about why I wrote that down. I realized I was being convicted and had not been delighting in The Lord & His Will. I had been sulking in it. I had been fighting against it...with the spirit of Jonah not wanting to go to Ninevah. Not to that extent...I really do want to go on this Latin American trip but if I had it my way I'd want it to be either right when I get back or stay in Colombia until it begins.
However, the truth is I have decided and think the smartest thing to do is to live back in the states for 6 months to earn money & save it up while fundraising and preparing for the trip. Thank you to all of those who were praying for me while I made this decision.
Ever since being convicted of it I've been trying to think more positive such as:
-things above and not of this earth (colossians 3:2)
-things that are true, noble, pure, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8)
-In the goodness of God & how He is our delight & eternal satisfaction. (psalm 35:9)
I should delight and find my joy in God's will that is being done in my life right now which is to serve and love Him by spending time with these people and enjoying these final few months I have here in Colombia.
Then when the next step comes I should enjoy Him and delight in His will whether that's in Nebraska, somewhere else in the united states, or traveling to 11 countries in 11 months! I know it will be great because nothing is greater than being in the center of God's will. :)
I was telling my prayer partner about what God had been teaching me about delighting in Him & His Will. She came across this book so I bought it and haven't been able to put it down. It is rocking my world!
It's called The Dangerous Duty of Delight (Daring to Make God Your Greatest Desire) by John Piper
If you have read Desiring God by John Piper it's pretty much the same thing...only a condensed version of it.
Here's a small excerpt from the Preface of the book to get a little taste of it:
I write this little book because the truth and beauty of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, are breathtaking. I say with the ancient psalmist,
One thing have I asked of teh LORD,
that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the day sof my life,
to behold the beauty of the LORD,
and to inquire in His temple.
Psalm 27:4
If you are a guide on a sightseeing trip, and you know that the people are longing to enjoy beauty--even willing to risk their lives to see it--and you come upon some breathtaking ravine, then you should show it to them and urge them to enjoy it. Well, the human race does in fact crave the experiene of awe and wonder. And there is no reality more breathtaking than Jesus Christ. He is not safe, but He is stunning.
God has put eternity in the man's mind and filled the human heart with longing. But we know not what we long for until we see the breathtaking God. This is the cause of the universal restlessness. Hence the famous prayer of Saint Augustine: "You made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace till they rest in you."
Delight in His Will, don't sulk in it.
