{"id":2472,"date":"2013-08-20T16:06:22","date_gmt":"2013-08-20T16:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/?p=2472"},"modified":"2013-08-21T09:42:36","modified_gmt":"2013-08-21T09:42:36","slug":"gifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/joel-mcmartin\/2013\/08\/20\/gifts\/","title":{"rendered":"Gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Am I Willing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the ways God has been working on my heart recently has been to develop a willing heart. \u00a0Last month we traveled out to a village and saw the difficult living conditions out there. \u00a0When we returned I was convicted by what we still cling on to in our lives. \u00a0I started realizing how much I say to God, “I can do this, but I CAN’T DO that”. \u00a0I started stopping myself each time I would start to tell God , “I can’t handle it if …”. \u00a0I was astonished how often I found myself saying that. \u00a0Yet the reality is that I could handle it or somehow with God’s help I could. \u00a0The truth is that I just don’t WANT to experience that sacrifice. \u00a0Camp was one of the times that I really started to work on this. \u00a0The first night I was lying there on the top bunk, next to Ethan, in a room with only two small windows and 30 other kids. \u00a0I couldn’t sleep because the heat was stifling. \u00a0I sat fanning myself and watching the others who were struggling to sleep as well. \u00a0I started thinking about what we could do to find different sleeping conditions for the next night, because certainly God knew that I was of no use to anyone without sleep. \u00a0“God I can’t handle 5 nights like…” \u00a0Stop…no that was not true, I could handle 5 nights like this, but it would be miserable.<\/p>\n

God is teaching me that I need to be willing to sacrifice. \u00a0God never promised a straight easy path, but he promised to walk by us each step of the way. \u00a0I have seen it over and over again these past 2 years, how God has taken our hands and led us through difficult times that I never thought we could have made it through. \u00a0These past two years have trained me to not freak out (or maybe to freak out less :))when we are stranded in a situation outside of our control, because somehow God always pulls through. \u00a0However, all of those occasions came without warning.\u00a0 Now God is challenging me to willingly<\/em> walk through suffering and trust the same thing. \u00a0The questions that keeps coming to my head when I start to say I can’t is “Are you willing?”. \u00a0I am a work in progress, but I am learning to say “yes”. \u00a0God doesn’t always ask me to walk through the hardships, but he always wants me to be willing.<\/p>\n

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The Strange thing is the more I learn to sacrifice the more clear God's gifts become in my life<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Beauty<\/strong><\/p>\n

The beauty of it is that then sometimes (not always, but some precious times), God gives me back what he asked me to be willing to give up. \u00a0And then it becomes a perfect special gift from him just to me. \u00a0We are a recipient of one of those huge gifts. \u00a02 years ago we said goodbye to all our family and friends and moved to Africa. \u00a0Any missionary will tell you that it is one of the most difficult things about our ministry. \u00a0However, God has given us back part of our family and he has worked it out in a way that only he can. \u00a0Next year, Joel’s parents will be moving to Senegal! \u00a0They will not only be moving to Senegal, but they will be moving right into our house. \u00a0It has been a decision that they have been considering for a while, but they have finally made it public, which allows me to share it with all of you. \u00a0God has directed them in this stage of life to a new ministry and that ministry will take place right here where we are. \u00a0We can’t tell you what joy it is to all of us and it should be a joy because it is a gift from above.<\/p>\n

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The boys are so excited to have some of their grandparents here!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What you Might be Wondering…<\/strong><\/p>\n