Pensamientos...

~Thoughts and reflections from my latest email update~

"¿Si Dios está conmigo, quién contra mi?"
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

If the Lord desires to give us good things, why can’t we believe that they will come? If God desires to bring healing in our lives, why can’t we believe, have hope, and run the race to that end?

They say that living in another culture exposes things inside of you that you didn’t realize were there (much like marriage, living with a roommate, or working with someone).

I’ve had such beautiful affirmations in my spirit here – realizations of how I truly love to worship and connect with God best in the cathedral of the great out of doors, how sometimes authentically “showing up” is what is desired, and cherished, in times when I feel inadequate and ill prepared, or the how the mystery is unveiled when I let go of the wheel and expect it to spin out of control, and yet it mysteriously stays on course and navigates into waters and encounters I never could’ve planned or foreseen.

On the contrary side, I’ve had to come to terms with insistence of my need for control, predictability, and comfort. I’ve had to get on my knees and repent of a stubborn selfishness that echoes a small child having to leave an ice cream shop. I’ve have to surrender dreams and hopes that I’m not sure I’ll ever get back. I’ve had to wrestle with the definition of “purpose” and what defines us outside of our materialistic and egocentric worldviews. “Balance” is the banner that’s been placed over my life for the past two years. Consistently, I teeter-totter between success and failure, as I seek to learn this art in many cultures.

But if the God of the Universe is emphatically for me, who can be against me? The people living in my home? Nope. The people I interact with at work? Nope. My difficult neighbor? Nope. My critical boss? Nope. The strangers on the bus? Nope. The expectations of my friends? Nope. The ignorance of the well-meaning person? Nope. The criticism of imperfection? Nope. The fears of “I can’t…I’m not…I’ve never…”? Nope. (insert person or situation)? Nope.

Their streams from a water pistol are nothing compared to the Tsunami of love… joy… peace… patience… kindness… goodness… faithfulness… gentleness… and self-control… that are in & surround a person wholly surrendered to following and loving Jesus Christ himself. (Gal 5:22)

Selah.