I heard a sermon recently about the fact that many Christians believe that they have to be on the ‘dot’, which is some exact place in life that God has preordained, and if we miss that dot, we are lost. The point of the message was that we should always be looking to do Godly things, and our decisions should be based on that- on whether or not our actions will glorify God- and we shouldn’t stress out about ‘getting it wrong’ when faced with several Godly options. If we follow what we feel is the best option and it turns out not to be His will, He will not condemn us for trying. David’s desire to build the temple is one example. God was pleased with David’s heart in wanting to do this, but in the end he wasn’t allowed to build it.
We often want God to give us a billboard answer when we are struggling with a decision. When it came to our decision of whether or not to take this 8 month assignment in India that Adam’s company was encouraging him to take, we really wanted that clear sign. The decision obviously impacts major factors in our lives, like the girls’ schooling, leaving our beloved dog Gracie, and our friends and family that we will greatly miss. After prayer and fasting, God brought us to what was more of a gradual conclusion (rather than the billboard) that this was the right step.
We are blessed with the support of our amazing small group, the equally awesome Senders group, and in particular our friends the Siekers. Bob and Suzanne are currently exploring missionary care and have many great resources with which to help us. While we are not going as missionaries per se, we do hope to live as missionaries. We are feeling God calling us to invest in the lives of people we are living around and working with (much like we try to do here) and hope to share Jesus with as many folks as we can.
On a final note, I am also indebted to Suzanne Sieker not only for her friendship, which I cherish, but also for her talents as a teacher and homeschooler. The task of homeschooling a 2nd grader and 6th grader- having never homeschooled before- is a daunting one, and I cannot imagine facing it without the help that she has already given and will continue to supply. God is so good to put so many wonderful people in our lives! Thank you Heavenly Father for caring so much about each and every one of us!
