"I must tell you a great truth, Much-Afraid, which only the few understand. All the fairest beauties in the human soul, its greatest victories, and its most splendid achievements are always those which no one else knows anything about, or can only dimly guess at. Every inner response of the human heart to Love and every conquest over self-love is a new flower on the tree of Love..."
~The Shepherd, Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard
2013 has been quite a year, now that I look back on it. God had significant things in store for my heart....things that drew me deeper into Him, that fueled my desire to know Him, and that challenged me to take frightening steps of faith. I'm so glad He did...
Perhaps you can make a couple"dim guesses" from these pieces of a few inadequately expressed ideas...
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As I took steps in obedience and faith towards a long term commitment to and a whole-hearted embracing of the Plateau, God began to grow my desire and excitement for investing in people. This served to further confirm what I sensed God's leading to be as I realized how perfectly it fit with the heart of Lemuel, which is to make eternal investments in people. This small shift in perspective increased my confidence and joy in being part of what God is doing on the Plateau...
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God challenged me in areas where I was living in fear with regards to performance and expectations.
And He urged me in growing in my understanding of who and how He's created me....of how I am wired, and what are my strengths and weaknesses...the freeing knowledge of the raw material I have with which to serve Him.
And He opened opportunities for me to awkwardly apply the things He was teaching me, and to learn from those experiences. I learned a lot about my self-centeredness...about my need to prove and be justified before others...about the temptation to use relationships for personal gain (I'm not talking about money)...about the need to listen...about the need for patience...
It feels as though I've taken beginning steps on a new phase of the journey.
Keep running....
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One interesting thing I've discovered: As God has begun to define the vision of my heart, I realize that its not tied to Haiti, or even to a specific activity. Yes, I believe that Haiti is where God has me for now; but, if He were to bring me back to Lancaster, or to send me somewhere else, I could keep pursuing what He has laid on my heart...in any place...in any occupation...
As one very wise adviser has observed: Ministry (Or I could call it "Eternal investment") is not a job that you DO. It is something that happens as you live.
What is that vision? Roughly expressed, it is to know and love God for who He is Himself, and to help others do the same.
I have been very inspired by the writings of A.W. Tozer who said that he wanted to love God more than anyone in his generation. I cannot claim yet to have reached such a level of desire, but for quite a few years now, God has been stirring up my longing to really know who He is and what He is like at deeper and deeper levels.
As I pursue that journey, I want to take those I come in contact with along....
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This is where I am at currently in processing through some things. There are others, but a blog is not the place I would typically choose to bare my soul....take me out for coffee instead.
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One interesting thing I've discovered: As God has begun to define the vision of my heart, I realize that its not tied to Haiti, or even to a specific activity. Yes, I believe that Haiti is where God has me for now; but, if He were to bring me back to Lancaster, or to send me somewhere else, I could keep pursuing what He has laid on my heart...in any place...in any occupation...
As one very wise adviser has observed: Ministry (Or I could call it "Eternal investment") is not a job that you DO. It is something that happens as you live.
What is that vision? Roughly expressed, it is to know and love God for who He is Himself, and to help others do the same.
I have been very inspired by the writings of A.W. Tozer who said that he wanted to love God more than anyone in his generation. I cannot claim yet to have reached such a level of desire, but for quite a few years now, God has been stirring up my longing to really know who He is and what He is like at deeper and deeper levels.
As I pursue that journey, I want to take those I come in contact with along....
*********************************************************************************
This is where I am at currently in processing through some things. There are others, but a blog is not the place I would typically choose to bare my soul....take me out for coffee instead.
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