I will follow You

           Choose...                                           Follow...          

Trust... 

              Obey...                                             Surrender...

                                   

These are just some words that have been swirling around in my head as I think about what this new year holds. I'd like to pick one word to sum up my hopes/dreams/plans for this year.

I can't see the future. I don't know what is coming our way this year but I pray that we will trust, follow, obey and surrender to Him.

Follow... because we are following the Lord to the foreign mission field. This time next week we will be following Him to MO to finish the training.

Father, thank you that you will never lead us astray.

Trust... because that's what it's all about. Our whole lives we will be learning to trust Him and His leading. If we really and truly trust God then we will be willing to do what ever He asks us to do. Because we know He will work things out for our good and His glory.

Lord, I trust you.


Obey... we can say we trust God. We can say we love Him. But do we obey and actually do what He asks?

Choose... because we have a choice in how we respond to situations that come our way. We can choose to have a good attitude verses a bad attitude. It's a choice to follow after God and really get to know Him. We have a choice in  how we spend our time. We can choose good pursuits or even better pursuits.


God, I choose to obey.


Surrender... because none of this is possible if we don't totally surrender everything and lay everything at our Lord's feet for Him to take and use.


Some times i think people have this view of missionaries that since missionaries have been "called" that it's not hard for them. Leaving everything behind won't be a sacrifice. Saying goodbyes will be easy. And that missionaies are adventurous and that means that taking your young children to a third world country isn't scary.

I'm here to tell you that that is not the truth! We have the same feelings and fears as any one else. I am not adventurous. And now with kids it's even scarier! I love them more than anything and I don't want anything to happen to them! And goodbyes never get easy no matter who you are. There have been and will be scarifies we'll have to make. And to be honest... some times i don't even want to do it. We are just regular folks. Just like you, with dreams and hopes and plans. And some times obeying God means letting go of some (or all) of those dreams.

But Jesus sacrificed everything for us. He gave all of himself. How can we do any less?

On the radio tonight in the car a song came on that spoke about following and trusting God.

"You were faithful before You’ll be faithful again"