The visa application process has begun and our papers are out there getting signed, stamped, passed along, and whatever else it takes, Lord willing, to get approval for us to move to West Asia. For our part, we are cleaning up, packing up, and wondering how in the world we’re going to fit our stuff into six suitcases.
Even during these last moments before departure, God is teaching us valuable lessons that we will need while we’re in West Asia. I want to share one of these lessons with you.
One of our final requirements before leaving the country was to sign a bunch of waivers about traveling abroad—these waivers, well, let’s just say they don’t give you warm fuzzies. Added to this, we were required to read the State Department’s travel warning for West Asia. At this point, all your warm fuzzies have been crushed and ground into dust.
Lest you think I was totally ignorant of any possible dangers before I read these things, none of this was new to me. These were all things I’d read about, prayed over, and worked through with the Lord. However, now a little twinge of fear was creeping in.
It was at this time that the Lord reminded me of several truths that continue to give me peace. The first truth is that people are praying for us. I looked down from the stern travel warning on my computer screen and saw a letter from my Grandma that said she was praying. I remembered how many of you are also out there praying for us, and my heart was uplifted.
Trusting God reminded me of another truth: He wants me to trust Him with my family’s safety. This may seem elementary to you (and hey, it probably is), but because I firmly believe that the Christian life does not promise physical safety, I hadn’t really been praying for it. God was showing me what was lacking in my theology by bringing King David to mind.
David was a man after God’s own heart, and he constantly asked God for protection from physical harm (e.g. Psalm 140). No matter what we face, the Lord wants me to trust in His ability to protect my family as well.
As I sat in my office meditating on God as my fortress and protection, a song started playing on my computer: “Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” That was God’s third peace-giving reminder. A life spent in service to Jesus is the only life worth living.
I’m finding that many decisions in life come down to whether I truly believe the Gospel. If this life is all there is, then going to West Asia is just about the most stupid thing I could think of doing. But if the Gospel is true, if there is a resurrection, if Jesus is the Savior of the world, then there is nothing I’d rather do than make His name known, wherever that task might take us. |
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