by toblerone on March 1, 2008
One year ago today, we stepped foot on this soil and called it “home” for this season of life. It has now been 365 days since we’ve been in the good ol’ US of A.
It has flown by, and it has creeped along. It has been such a stretching and personal season of growth, and it’s been the most frustrating thing I’ve ever signed up to do. It’s been a blessing, and it’s been the valley.
In short, 2007 was THE HARDEST YEAR OF MY LIFE. EVER.
But God is so much more personal to me now. He’s my friend and my Father. He loves me, and He loves everyone that surrounds me. He has whispered some secrets of life to me that I never would have known had we not boarded that plane. For that, I am thankful.
He is so good. And He has His hedge of protection around this growing little family. Even though life here is not easy, it’s so much easier than fighting His will and walking a path that wasn’t ours to tread. We are exactly where He wants us to be right now. It is a delight to be wherever He has us. Geography means very little to Him. He wants our hearts.
These two Scriptures were etched on my heart this last year:
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. - Psalm 37:3-6
Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. - Habakkuk 3:17-19
To celebrate, we will be doing something we hardly ever do in this expensive country - going out to eat for dinner. Woo-hoo!
by toblerone on December 24, 2007
No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.
by toblerone on November 26, 2007
Last Sunday, some new friends of ours announced that they were going home back to the States. It’s not their first choice - in fact, they said it’s been a harder decision to pack up and move back than it was to move here overseas in the first place.
They’ve been here two months. They were going to be here at least three years.
This couple is in their early 60s, and they’re going back to take care of ailing parents who aren’t going to be around much longer. They have rather difficult family relationships, and they sensed clear direction from God to honor their family first.
It was really cool to hear their hearts on the matter. I know I needed to hear it. They had overwhelming peace that being here for the past two months was not an accident or a misreading of God’s voice - that He used this country as a major detour to move back to the States 100 miles away from where they left (where her parents are). The husband admitted that he originally would not have been willing to move those 100 miles straight from their hometown; God softened his heart about moving 8,000 miles so that he would be willing to go anywhere. Even the most difficult place on earth for him, which is near his in-laws.
This reminded me of something my psychologist shared with us in Thailand. Imagine two hills with a valley in the center. You’re in the valley, and you hear God’s voice to climb up one of the hills. You do so, which now gives you a different visual perspective than what you had in the valley. You can see much clearer now - you need to be on the other hill. You can see that standing on that hill, but you couldn’t see it in the valley. God wanted you to see the view.
I often wonder how long we’re going to be here. This hill-and-valley analogy is incredibly encouraging to me, because it gives me hope that God will make it clear when it’s time to trek over to another hill. For now, we’re on the right hill, and I have peace that I can more clearly see His plan from here than from the valley.
As always, He is good.
by toblerone on October 31, 2007
“People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true friends; succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway. Give the world YOUR best anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.” -Mother Teresa
by toblerone on August 22, 2007
“Try to give your agenda to God. Keep saying, ‘Your will be done, not mine.’ Give every part of your heart and your time to God and let God tell you what to do, where to go, when and how to respond. God does not want you to destroy yourself. Exhaustion, burnout, and depression are not signs that you are doing God’s will. God is gentle and loving. God desires to give you a deep sense of safety in God’s love. Once you have allowed yourself to experience that love fully, you will be better able to discern who you are being sent to in God’s name.”
- Henri J. M. Nouwen
