A REFLECTION ON 2015
"But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble is He doesn't come through."
This quote from Francis Chan’s book, Crazy Love, basically describes what the year of 2015 was like. It was hard and uncomfortable. I was forced to rely on him for everything (and I mean everything). The moment I tried to do things alone was the same moment I became stressed and doubtful.
Thankfully, although tough, this past year has allowed me to see and experience God in a fresh, raw way. In the midst of poverty and injustice, God’s character of love, compassion, mercy, justice, and peace never changes. He sees the broken, he loves the fatherless, he has compassion for the weak. That’s just God and He doesn’t change.
Another valuable lesson I’ve learned is how His power is made perfect in my weakness. It’s not that He can just “work with” my weakness and spin it into something magnificent. His power is made PERFECT. How incredible? I often ask God how on earth He chose me for this task, for I am weak and inadequate. But then I realized that’s exactly why He chose me. He took me out of my comfort zone to glorify Himself.
What a privilege it is to know that the God of the universe chose me! He chose me to seek and follow after Him. He entrusted me with the message of Jesus in order than I might share it with others. He, the King of kings, adopted me into His family! And not only did He do these things, He has given me the unique opportunity to love the least of these in Haiti. For that, I am forever grateful.
As of a few days ago, I have only 6 months left of my original 2-year commitment to Haiti. Time has gone by so fast! However, I am not so sure I will be ready to leave quite yet. I am currently considering whether to stay an extra year or to move onto something else. I dream about becoming a teacher in the inner city and exploring other parts of the world, but I currently cannot imagine leaving the kiddos of Grace Emmanuel School. Pray the Lord would guide me and strengthen me to faithfully follow His lead (no matter what that may be) with full assurance.
Lastly, may your new year be filled with joy and perseverance as you pursue Jesus. Although I am not much into resolutions, this verse is what I'm striving for in 2016:
"...make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." —2 Peter 2:5-8