The end of May is approaching. It has been a crazy three months, and the world as I know it has changed. Yet even during this time- God is moving mightily in this world. God is also a teacher and one who convicts and guides His disciples. During this time of the coronavirus (and in my past few years at college), the LORD has planted a strong and important theme into my life: to trust in God during seasons of waiting; yet to act when He moves us forward. Something important that I wanted to discuss here is to NOT RUSH THE JOURNEY.
Today, we live in a time where many of us want to rush our way out of seasons of waiting or valleys of trials to get to the mountaintop that is supposedly located on the other side. We often like to take the straightest and quickest path possible to get to something that we wanted to reach or accomplish for so long. But what if the quickest path is not the best option? IF we are so focused on the destination, then we miss out on the journey that we take to reach that destination. Nearly eight years ago, I went on a church trip to New Orleans, LA that reset my faith and challenged me to serve Christ actively in my life. But one of my favorite takeaways from this trip was cherishing every moment of it. It was a really long bus ride from North Carolina, but we built beautiful relationships along the way, prayed, and saw parts of the United States that many of us had never seen before. A posterboard from this trip was created shortly thereafter, and I wrote on it some of the key takeaways and quotes from the experience. One of them reads: “There is more than just the destination. Getting there is half the fun and adventure!”. By being laser-focused only on getting to Louisiana, I would have missed the point of the journey and also what God was doing in our group along the way.
After over three months in prayer about this virus, I began to see this pandemic as a season and not a short term event. It is a season where God is walking His church through chaotic and uncertain times. It is also a season where God is stripping away much of our distractions, bringing us home, and preparing us for the future. Yes, the pandemic has been a huge challenge and sorrow to many (especially those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus). Multitudes of people are hoping that this pandemic ends so that life can get back to some semblance of normal. Yes, I do look forward to when this infectious deadly disease eventually fades away. But if we just focus on that and try to blow by this season as quick as possible- we could very well be missing beautiful works that God is trying to accomplish through us and in us in the present. This season has also been a time of reaching local communities with the Gospel, spending extended time with family, and resting in faith.
The World Race is an amazing life changing experience to travel the world and share the Gospel with the least reached in Asia. It is a time to serve God on mission and build His church in some of the most remote villages. I will not be the same after this trip- and it is a time where the LORD will grow me as a missionary as well. Yet it is also important to embrace the journey of getting to the trip itself. It is a journey to engage churches, tell others about missions, and raise support as this trip gets closer. It is a unique path that God has created to bring together a foundation of believers to support missions. This was a significant factor in deciding to push my departure date back to 2021. I needed to decide whether or not to press forward and prepare for an October launch (and have all preparations done by then) or to embrace an unexpected detour. Yet while making this decision, I realized that so much of the trip preparation process cannot be rushed. While virtual fundraisers and phone calls are ok- Being able to speak in a church building about missions builds relationships and can galvanize a congregation to look at God’s great vision for the world. Meeting with prayer / financial supporters face to face and sharing stories together is beautiful- and builds a strong connection. Gathering together to study the Bible and pray over the nations is a fantastic time to lift up what God is doing and for the impact of missionaries (including myself) over the future years. All of these things have one thing in common: community. A Christ-centered community gathering together (the church) to do great things. While it has been difficult to see this community apart due to the pandemic, I also need to trust God in this process as He brings His church back together in the coming months. I am continuing to pray that this year (2020 – 2021) will be fruitful in building long lasting relationships with friends and churches that can be carefully nurtured with this extra time before the launch.
There are many big and beautiful things that are exciting in life and that I look forward to- marriage with a significant other, going on this mission trip overseas, and discovering the vocational purpose that God created me for- just to name a few. Yes- these are amazing things. These are things that I have prayed about for a long time and asked the LORD to intervene and guide. Yet they are also very important events in life. Many times in the Bible, God instructs His followers to wait. Often, it comes as a promise from God; but a significant amount of time before the fulfillment elapses. Abraham waited 25 years after God’s promise to give him a son. The boy king Joash waited 6 years inside the Temple until it was safe for him to rule. In the New Testament, the disciples waited in Jerusalem and did not depart from the city until after Pentecost. While the length of the wait varied, it showed that God’s people waited for Him to move in His timing to complete His plans in His world. The waiting revolved around Him as God’s people trusted in Him even when His plans were not fulfilled yet. While I look forward in anticipation to these things occurring in my life- I need to trust in the LORD, pray and seek Him, and rejoice when the LORD does move forward in a particular area.
The path to missions in the 10/40 Window has become a lot longer and full of more twists and turns than I could have imagined in November 2019. Yet this season (May 2020 – May 2021) is a time to embrace these turns as the LORD shapes this path. It is a time to restore relationships with people that I have not kept in touch with over the years. It is a time to grow in faith with a missional house church family in Boone, NC. Furthermore, this season will be filled with discipleship, sharing the Gospel in North Carolina, and studying the Bible together. It will also be a season of learning- both spiritually through God’s word and academically in my geography program. It will be a year to set aside time and space to lay a spiritual and academic foundation that will be crucial in the years (and likely decades) to come. Spiritual maturity and character development cannot be rushed. Spiritual maturity is forged through studying God’s word and growing in faith during the many experiences that we encounter in life. Waiting allows the LORD to build a spiritual foundation and move us forward (or in a different direction) in His timing.
May the LORD guide and send out the missionaries who are planning to launch in the fall. Yet may He also grow and guide those whom He is calling to wait. Patience is not an easy thing to learn, but I hope to look back on this time fondly and to use it wisely today. Oftentimes, some of the biggest steps in life take years of praying, discerning, and waiting on the LORD even as His plans do not make sense on the surface. Yet as significant events do take place, they are a testimony to a God who carefully examines and prepares us for them.
Pic: Looking towards Home: Grandfather Mountain, NC. Location: Little Lost Cove Cliffs.
