Do you ever feel discouraged with what you have or have not accomplished? Do you question whether you are on the right path, maybe wondering if you took a wrong turn somewhere? I (Scott) can be quite introspective which has its strengths but also can become a deterrent if I let it. In our most recent update (see the update section on our website) we shared a short and long-term vision of where we feel Jesus calling us. We feel excited and certain about it, but that doesn’t mean that doubt is absent. We ask ourselves, when will this become a reality? How will it become a reality?
I am a person that can be easily overwhelmed by all of the details that are essential to life and ministry which can lead me to reflect upon what I have and have not done, and find myself wondering,
“is this even possible? Am I even capable?”
I tend to look so far down the road that I lose sight of my current surroundings.
In the past few weeks, I have felt challenged, maybe even convicted of where my focus has been. Over Thanksgiving, we traveled to the Pacific Northwest to visit friends and family. I love this region and would move there in a heartbeat. I think that this region would be ideal for The Refuge (see most recent update). I can be so consumed with the haves and have nots and desires of my heart that I fail to see the three young children that God has entrusted Rach and I with, and the town that he has placed us in.
And let’s be honest,
washing dishes and doing loads of laundry for the millionth time is not exactly satisfying.
“Everyone wants a revolution, no one wants to do the dishes.”
Suffice it to say, I have lost sight of the present and all of the opportunities that it offers. This was one of those realizations that hurts.
But God, being rich in mercy and committed to the growth and wholeness of his children, cares enough to bring up the hard things so that our intentions and perspective may have the right orientation. I have been in this process of “relearning” how to love God, love myself, and love others, and if I can’t be faithful in those areas currently, will I be faithful in those areas, years from now?
In the midst of at all, I am remained that even if at times I am faithless, the Lord remains faithful (2 Timothy 3:13). I leave you with the words of Douglas Mckelvey from his book, Every Moment Holy, which have brought encouragement to my heart, and I pray will speak to yours as well:
Be invested instead
child,
In simple obedience to your king,
and in long faithfulness to his call,
shepherding daily those gifts and task,
and relationships he has entrusted to you,
regardless of outcomes and appearances.
He will bring all things right in his way.
And in his time.
All he asks is your willingness.
Your heart is in his hands.
Your ways are in his hands.
Your days are in his hands.