Our Final Stop

Well our time here in Thailand is coming to an end. This Friday we will leave our ministry here and head to Cambodia our final stop on this trip before we head home. This has been a once in a life time trip filled with great memories and revelations. While I am excited to be returning home I will sure miss my team and doing life in daily ministry without other responsibilities. As we draw closer and closer to returning home it is hard to not have my focus on what is next for my life in America and what I will do when I get home. I want to be present here in the moment and make the most of our final few weeks on the field and all that God has for me. This lead me to seek insight into how I can remain present and focused on what God wants to do with me in these coming weeks. I would like to share with you how I am staying focused and in the moment while still being responsible and planning for the future.

I have been very prayerful as of late that the Lord would help me to remain focused and not look to the future to much. I found a scripture that was very helpful in keeping me grounded and concentrated on what I am doing here with my day to day as well as give me insight as to what I will do when I get home.

‘My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone. ‘

Psalm 71:15-16

So how does this scripture help me while I am here still on the field? It serves as a reminder of where my heart posture should be and how I should approach the Lord. This position is one of gratefulness and reverence as I look back on all that the Lord has shown me and done in me and through me during this time on the field. When I look back and see the growth, miracles and testimonies that I have experienced while on the race I have no choice but to deeply desire those same moments with the weeks that I have left on the field. It is very easy to be excited about the current day when I remember how many amazing things have happened each and every day of this journey up until this point. Every new day is another opportunity for the Lord to reveal himself to me and invite me into His will for my life and His work. This fact has helped me cherish each and everyday even as my flesh desires deeply to be home and see all the people that I miss. I love in verse 15 that is says the Lords deeds of salvation are past my knowledge. This verse is also incredibly encouraging as it reminds me of the affect that we are having on others and ourselves as we submit deeper to the will of God. God is going to use each day that remains to refine me and also to spread His love to the people we encounter and interact with. Some of the lessons I learn and revelation I receive won’t hit me for weeks months and years to come. I think this may also be true for the affect our time on the field will have on others as well. We may not see an immediate affect on others but we can find peace and encouragement knowing that many people are getting to encounter the Lord through us wether that leads to immediate radical transformation in their life or not. We get to trust in God and that He will use our time for more than we could ever imagine. Those factors make it very easy to give my all and remain focused on my last few weeks in the field.

This verse has also given me lots of clarity on what my life will be like when I get home as well. While I have some plans for employment ministry and other pursuits when I get home this verse perfectly outlines what will be the foundation of my life when I return home. Regardless of what comes next in my life when I return one thing while certainly be a integral part of my life moving forward, testifying about the righteousness of the Lord. It does not matter what comes next for me in the physical world, what does matter is that I have encountered God like never before and been given countless stories to share. What matters is that He has revealed Himself to me time and time again and now it is time to share what I have learned and experienced with the world. This has allowed me to make practical decisions about what I will be doing for work and for ministry upon my return without having my judgement clouded by doubts and worries. There is no place for fear or anxiety in this next season of my life because I know that I will get to go into with the Lord by my side as well as Him walking before me.  The fact of the matter is that it really doesn’t matter what I will be doing when I get back home because my job and ministry will simply answer the questions of where and how. What I will be doing is giving glory to God and encouraging other believers by sharing stories of the righteousness of God and that can happen anytime and anywhere.

We are down to our final 2 months I can’t wait to see you all soon, God Bless my friends!