Peace

Many exciting things are on the horizon for our family and I’m looking forward to sharing with you all in greater detail about each, but for now, I just wanted to share some thoughts...

My husband is preparing to embark on an awesome adventure to Honduras on a mission trip with a local evangelist, a friend he has known since childhood who also happened to be my college pastor (I even sang in his wedding). Anyway, pardon the random trivia, now back to the story…

I am super thrilled for him to go on this trip (and a bit jealous, truth be told). I look forward to hearing about everything he will get to see, everyone he will get to meet, and the ways God will show up and do what only He can do. It’s always eye-opening to get outside the convenient comforts of our country and see how other cultures live and to gain a bigger worldview than we had before we left. It causes our hearts to grow and our self to shrink, which we all could use a bit more of! And believe me, I understand we don’t have to leave the country in order to serve and find people in need, but there’s just ‘something’ about getting outside of our American-bubble-Bible-belt-Christianese-culture that gives us a great, much needed dose of reality.

Anyway, apparently there has been some political drama and/or unrest going on around some parts of the country of Honduras. I couldn’t find any info about anything when I searched Google news, so I have no idea what the fuss is all about. But because of this, some of Brad’s friends are concerned for him and possibly think he shouldn’t go on the trip. So, this has caused Brad and I to revisit some old conversations and has brought back to the surface some very strong beliefs that we both have about the matter.

Brad and I have been through a lot in our seven years of marriage and, through all the situations we’ve faced, we have always come away with a greater understanding of God, life and eternity and, as a result, a stronger faith. We have learned time and time again that God is BIG, God is Love, He is in control and He has “plans to prosper us and not to harm us (Jer. 29:11).”

So, when the topic came up of Brad’s trip possibly posing any danger to him, my immediate thoughts are that a) God is in control, b) God will protect Brad and the team and c) God forbid anything were to happen to him, what better way to go out than doing the Lord’s work! As believers in Christ, our lives are not really our own any longer anyway (Gal. 2:20). That’s not to say that I wouldn’t be devastated, but my life would continue to go on and God would get me through, as He has every other difficult situation I’ve faced in my life.

It is such a feeling of peace to know that I can trust Him and rest in Him!

“If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” (Romans 14:8)

My prayer for each of you is that you would know that kind of peace too!