Feelin' the Need to Clarify

When I went to bed last night, I thought about yesterday's post and made a mental note to clarify a few things today so I wouldn't start any church rumors or have my dad calling me to make sure I haven't lost my mind. So here goes...

ON MOVING

If God called us to move to Haiti, I would go in an instant. The same is true of Egypt, Africa, and even my hometown. The point is that Trent and I have committed our lives to go wherever the Lord leads us. We have not heard him calling us to move to Haiti and that is good news for all of us right now.

The conversation I was referencing took place on my last night in Haiti while I was sitting in a worship service on the YWAM base. I immediately texted Trent what I felt like God had asked me. Trent, in his wisdom, replied that generally when God is calling us to go somewhere, He doesn't ask us, He tells us. When He asks us a question, it is usually because He wants us to evaluate our own hearts regarding that issue. Could God eventually call us to Haiti? Sure! He could also heal Jack and still never call us to Haiti. That leads me to my next thought.

ON HEALING

I realize that the topic of healing is uncomfortable for some. I get that. I read something the other day that made me feel better about my role in healing. I am reading a book called Is That Really You, God?. It is about the man who founded YWAM and the early days in that organization. One of the stories he tells is of an experience that a young missionary girl had in the Bahamas on the first YWAM outreach. He says, "An old man with a withered arm stretched his arm out and was healed. The eighteen-year-old who prayed for him was so surprised that she fainted."

You know what I LOVE about that story? That picture of that girl passing out in amazement of what God had done. That says to me that seeing God heal is not about me and what I do but entirely about Him. That girl was not Miss Super Christian 1975 who had the faith to move mountains and did God a favor by going to the Bahamas to yell, "Man, be healed". No she was an 18 year old girl who was humbly willing to follow Christ in obedience and was blessed enough to see Him do some great things.

God is not going to heal because of who we are, but because of who He is and only if it is consistent with His will. I am not going to talk God into healing Jack or catch Him at just the right moment. Instead, I am going to faithfully pursue Him, follow His will, and then watch Him move. If He heals Jack, that would be awesome for this mom who doesn't want to see her son suffer. But if He doesn't, He is still God and He is still worthy of my worship and devotion.

Today's Side Note: It has been raining a lot here lately and the kids discovered a game where they race pieces of chalk, down the stream in front of our house, in the rain. Ruthie was the only one smart enough to cover her head.