This past week I got to spend some time in a Guymai Indian village with a team on a mission trip and my friend Bart who is a missionary there. Along with many other things, Bart and his wife Heather are in the process of helping build a school in one of the villages so that the children do not have to go long distances by foot to the next village for school. Working on the school was the focus of the week as well as a VBS program and we all had a great time!
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| A photo of the village we were in. |
We ended up having some sickness in our family at the start of the week so we could not all go as planned. I was, however, able to go alone midweek. Since I needed to leave our truck for my family, my trip consisted of a long bus ride, a car ride, and a late night (pitch black) hike in the mud through the jungle.
As my journey started out I found myself again talking with God about what his intentions are for my family and me. (I guess I would feel more comfortable if I could see the whole picture.) Although he has shown us many things to be doing and involved in, I was wondering if I am DOING enough.
In the past I was able to look at my list at the end of a given day and decide if I had been “successful” in that day. Did I get enough done today? I used to ask myself this question, but I could compare myself to other people in construction and/or insurance adjusting and see how I measured up. This business of trying to give each day to God and allow him to have his way with me is a new experience for me. Although I would highly recommend it to anyone, it has been difficult to know if I am measuring up.
On that bus God brought a couple verses to mind that I had read several weeks before. I had really been struck by the verses when I read them, but on that bus ride I began to see something totally new and different! (Isn’t God’s Word amazing in that it truly is a living thing and is somehow new each day?)
“Now may the God of peace - who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood - may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.” Heb. 13:20 & 21
These words blow me away with the greatness of God! This benediction brings so much comfort and freedom! Did you see it there? I had to read it several times before I realized that God is using the same power that raised Jesus from the dead to equip me with all I need so that I can do what he wills! It says, “May HE produce in you...”! He is the one producing the things in my life that please him! He is and will be actively involved in every good thing that I will ever do! The responsibility rests on him as long as I am willing to follow!
No pressure here.... No wonder Jesus invites us to share his yoke and states that it is light. He is going to equip us to do, and then produce in us, the good things that are pleasing to him! Does it get better than that? Is there a more freeing benediction?
I see now that my walk with Christ is a little like the trip I took to visit the Indian village. (I’m sure this analogy breaks down at many points, but just try to follow the main idea.) I had no idea how to get there on my own. I didn’t even know what to expect once I got off the bus. I needed only to buy my ticket and get on. Once on board I did not question the driver to see if he had done this before, I just trusted.
Stepping off the bus in the dark, I was still miles from where I needed to be but I was told that there would be a car with two guys to pick me up... Again I trusted, and sure enough they pulled up minutes after I got there. It was not just any 2 guys that picked me up either. I met two brothers in Christ who had stories to tell all the way to where their car could go no further. (One was even very familiar with my tiny “hometown” in Colorado!) Then we got out of the car in pitch darkness and began to hike in the mud on trails and over old suspension bridges and found our way to the village one step at a time.
To top it all off, (sometimes God has to “drive home” points with me as I miss some things that are painfully obvious) when I walked into the building that the group was in I found them having a sharing time. Several of those sharing spoke on how we need only to be willing for God to have his way in our lives and we don’t have to have everything all figured out! He wants to take us along for the ride but does not want us to forget who the driver is.
Please keep in mind that I was not told, nor did I expect, that the journey would be without difficulty or be the most direct route to the destination. It’s good I wasn’t told that every aspect of the trip would be lovely as five minutes into the bus ride the child in the seat next to mine threw up everywhere! Puke splattered all over my leg, feet and bag and the smell the rest of the way was incredible! And, there were many unscheduled stops between the start and end of my trip.
Jesus does not promise that the journey will be without it’s problems. As a matter of fact he tells us in many ways to buckle up! It seems that the whole New Testament is filled with warnings about what to expect if you follow in Jesus’ footsteps and live a Spirit directed life! You don't get into a yoke without knowing that there will be hard work and even pain involved, but the difference is that when we share a yoke with Jesus he will be as close as our next breath and he promises to never leave or forsake!
Along the way I could have been stressed about different parts of the journey, but I trusted the drivers, I trusted Bart, and I trusted my God to do what I could not. It’s fun to be at ease on a journey! And God calls us to live life in this way! He calls us to trust him to equip us! Then he promises to produce every good thing that he wants to do in and through us by his all sufficient, never ending, indescribable power!
What’s not to love about this offer that God makes every day of our lives?! My trip to the village was a cool adventure and I learned to trust the one giving directions even more than I did before. I know that where God calls, I can go with confidence! Whether he calls me to adventure, solitude, suffering, or joy (or most likely a combination of these) I can have peace knowing that he will provide all I need for doing his will and then produce in me all the good that he wants to do through me! I get to be like a kid whose daddy calls him to follow along on a grand adventure! With joy I look forward to each leg of the journey and not just the destination!
I pray that each of you can find comfort in this verse knowing that the pressure to plan the course, provide what is needed, and work in us is on God's shoulders. I pray we can all find peace in that. I also pray that you all find a challenge in this verse to continue on or get on that "bus" and let him choose the path!
Again, thank you for all your prayers! Here are a few updates on some prayer requests. We have had some health issues since the last blog and ask that you continue to pray for health for our family as our bodies adjust to this new climate and culture. Please continue to pray that God directs us in the everyday things like future housing, additional vision, and physical and spiritual provision. Please also pray for the families in our area as we are seeing a spiritual attack on the family unit here. Finally, we are going back to the Indian reservation this coming week to help finish the school and any long trip is an unknown in a developing country with a (almost) 30 year old vehicle.
Your Friends,
The Ridderings
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| Happy Thanksgiving! This is the Costa Rican version of a turkey. |
Again, thank you for all your prayers! Here are a few updates on some prayer requests. We have had some health issues since the last blog and ask that you continue to pray for health for our family as our bodies adjust to this new climate and culture. Please continue to pray that God directs us in the everyday things like future housing, additional vision, and physical and spiritual provision. Please also pray for the families in our area as we are seeing a spiritual attack on the family unit here. Finally, we are going back to the Indian reservation this coming week to help finish the school and any long trip is an unknown in a developing country with a (almost) 30 year old vehicle.
Your Friends,
The Ridderings
