From A Friend's Perspective
James 4:13-15
13 Now
listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or
that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make
money.” 14 Why,
you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life?
You are a mist that appears for a little while and then
vanishes. 15 Instead,
you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live
and do this or that.”
This verse has always been a challenge
for me. I like to plan. I like to micromanage, I like to be in
control, and I LOATHE change of plans. Over the years and from
various sources, God has been teaching me to let Him be in control,
and change my imperfect human plans. It always turns out better than
anything I could have ever dreamed.
I had a less-than-perfect relationship
in high school that led me to decide that I probably wouldn't get
married. God had different plans. Just 8 months after graduating high
school, I met my husband. He was tailor-made for me. I thank God
daily for this change in plans.
After getting married, I began to have
an increase in some health problems that were previously just
slightly annoying. I was told by various doctors that I may have
trouble having children. One doctor told me he didn't think I would
ever have children. So we decided we were probably never going to
have them.
When my husband and I had been married
for just three years, we felt called to the mission field. It was
something neither of us had seriously considered in our adult lives,
but we had become heavily involved in our church Mission Team and the
stories of reaching the lost tugged at our hearts. We had meaningful
friendships with the international students at our local college, and
we felt especially burdened for the Japanese people. We began to
study Japanese and looked into what it would take to get to Japan.
The thing was, the paths we had chosen
in our lives so far made leaving the country very difficult. My
husband was in the middle of a doctorate program that increased our
student debt by thousands every month. And the degree he would
graduate with would not allow him to work in Japan. We still felt
such a burden, that we continued to try to make the puzzle-piece of
our lives fill a spot that it didn't seem to fit.
In December 2010, a year and a half
before my husband would graduate, we received shocking news: we were
going to have a baby. Praise God for this change in plans. This added
another, wonderful corner to our puzzle-piece that made it even
harder to move to Japan. When our son was less than a year old, we
finally concluded that Japan was not in our future, at least, not at
the moment.
Our hearts were still so burdened for
the lost all over the world. We couldn't help but feel like we failed
just a little. But God began to show us that we could make a
difference right where we were. My husband may not be able to work in
Japan, but he can work in the U.S., and God blessed us with a higher
salary than either of us had ever experienced. We began to see that
we had a unique situation. We could give to missions more than most.
All the while that God was changing my
plans into a beautiful picture I could never have created myself, my
long-time best friend Sarah Larson was going through her own journey.
She went on short-term mission trips and went to Bible college. My
husband and I prayed for her throughout this time, and we both felt
called to help support her when she decided to commit her life to
long-term missions. She has blessed my life in so many ways, and I am
thrilled that I can allow God to bless her through me. Not only that,
but because of our close friendship, I will be able to have a real
connection with the people she ministers to in Honduras. I am amazed
to look back on my life and see the awesome pattern that has begun to
emerge. I am so excited to be a part of Sarah's journey as she gives
herself fully to the will of our Savior. I know He has such big plans
for her and so many people for her to reach.
I have learned, and I am still
learning, that God's plan is better than mine. I still try to fight
it sometimes; I try to micromanage and take control. But He is gently
teaching me to hand over the reigns to Him and enjoy the ride. I'm
just so thankful that He is allowing me to reach the lost, even
though it's not the way I planned.
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