So if I had to pick a lesson plan that the Lord has been walking us through for the last few months it would be “trusting Him: no ifs, ands, or buts.” Case in point, our plans changed drastically when we found out we would be having another baby. We had been feeling quite the burden to get to the field as quickly as possible because the need over there is so intense and in our finite thinking we assumed the Lord also felt this burden and would aide our time-sensitive efforts. Instead, he slowed us down a few months and decided we needed another little one to take with us. This didn’t and still doesn’t make sense to us but there is no better opportunity to learn to trust the Lord’s wisdom than when he allows something to happen that doesn’t make sense to us. We had been taking responsibility for something that the Lord is ultimately in control of and he very clearly reminded us that he knows what’s best – even if that means there appears to be a hindrance in the spread of the gospel for lack of pilots – not only for our family but for the mission field of PNG. It’s a real life situation in which he is calling us to “be still and know that he is God”; in other words to rest, to wait, and to trust in his ultimate sovereigntỵ
This is a profound lesson that will probably take the rest of our lives to learn fully but it sure helps to have taken these baby steps to maturity as we look forward to an uncertain future. We know we need to move back to California but the Lord is calling us to put our newfound trust in action as we don’t yet know where we will live or how we will make it work financially. We can, however, cling to some promises he makes his children, namely, that he will provide shelter, food, and clothing as we strive first for His kingdom and righteousness (Mt 6:25-34) and that He will fully satisfy every need as we look to Him (Phil 4:19). If we truly understand what it means that we are His beloved children because He sees us in His beloved Son then not only will we see the futility of worrying about tomorrow but we will be praising Him in advance for what we trust He will provide. What a cool lesson to learn: not only do we serve a Sovereign God but He deals with us like a Loving Father! What’s not to trust, right?
Now I’ll step off the soapbox and let you know how things are going. Brent’s Lasik surgery went well; he is very happy with his new vision abilities and my heart is put at ease knowing that he will be able to do his potentially risky flights without compromised eyesight. He is now gone for two weeks representing NTMA at a huge airshow in Oshkosh, WI. I am thankful he has this opportunity but I also miss him a lot. It’s another sort of trial all together to be a pregnant, single parent with two small toddlers. Please pray that he has a successful time at the airshow and that he returns to a sane family in a couple weeks. Thanks for being a part of our lives!
Mary says
Thank you for the update. You have good insight. We just prayed for you this morning.