Sorry it has taken so long to get something on here. I had a lot of thoughts to organize. This post is a revised version of somethings that I wrote while there and am now mashing together. So if at times it is jumbled, I am sorry I tried to eliminate that, but I can't always win. ^_~
Acts 16:6-40
The question that comes to my mind when reading this is, "What am I willing to endure for the cause of Christ?" Am I willing to endure the small as well as the big? The heat and the discomfort as well as the fear of imprisonment and death?
Often people view suffering as a sign of being out of the will of God, but I see things much differently. If I am suffering or going through a trial, I am probably doing something right! If I wasn't a threat to the enemy, he wouldn't waste his time on me.
Another thought that this brings is the fact that I myself find it easier to turn to God in hard times that when they are easy. When things are going well it is easy for me to feel like I am the one who is in control and become complacent and apathetic in my faith. It may sound odd to most, but I sometimes long to struggle so that I might better feel the embrace of God. When I struggle the only place left for me to look is up. The challenge for me is to turn and trust in God for the little as well as the big things that I experience in life.
Philippians
The question that I have to ask myself here is, "What will it take for me to regard others like Paul regarded the church in Philippi?" He loved them with a deep passion, thought about them all the time, prayed for them just as much, and longed to be with them again. This was a big question for me in regards to my Chinese students this last month and a half.
It is always a hard thing for me to do; letting people in. I am not the most open and vulnerable person. I have a hard time being that with people I have known all my life and in China I found myself in a situation where I had to be that with people I was meeting for the first time. Not exactly on my list of top 10 things I love to do.
I think the only people that I long for and love with all my heart like Paul, is my family. But as I sat in my room in China and wrote that last sentence in my journal it hit me. That is the answer. I have to regard others as FAMILY. Jesus calls the body to be a family and the only way we can do that is if we actually consider each other that way. WE have to invest in each other. We only get out what we put in.
In China I tried putting this into action and the results were beyond anything that I could have imagined. I allowed God to use my experiences and vulnerability to break down the walls within me and turn them into bridges. They became bridges that changed my life, the people around me, and in turn He used them to change His Kingdom.
There are so many things that God showed me during my time in China. He changed the way I see others and myself. I am not a member of a religion or a church, I am a member of a global family. One that is growing everyday and I was allowed the honor of being a part of that. God SENT ME to do His work so that He could do His work IN ME. ^_^
2 comments:
Mir, it is so exciting to hear about what God did in you and through you, and to know that this is just the beginning. Find ways to keep growing now that you are home. I think, kind of like you said, it's harder when we don't struggle. I love you so much!
Hi, Miriam. You may not remember me... I'm a high school friend of your mom and she shared your blog address with me. I enjoyed reading your post here. Isn't it interesting how when we really take the time to reflect and seek God, that He provides us with answers and special insights (like your/His thoughts on Family)? Keep seeking Him -- even when all is well and cushy.
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