The begining of a new year is always a good time to look back and reflect. When I returned back to the states my mom had bought a little barn when I was out last time and being back I was able to take the things that I had in storage and create a little oasis inside this barn. Basically it has become a library for me to retreat to when I am home. A place I can have quiet time with God,study His Word, reflect and process all that happens while I am home in Haiti. As I placed each book on the shelf I was reminded of the changes God has made in me and how He prepared me for where I am now. The chiseling He has done at times has been difficult and painful, but to bring me to where I am now I know it was needed. I can see that now. He continues to chisel away at His creation and for this I am grateful. I am a work in progress and I know I won’t be finished until He brings me HOME or until He returns. Reflecting on the past…not holding onto it…He shows me and gives me understading for some of those things that He brought me thru. What a view the Lord gives me!! Looking at the view gives me a peace and comfort that He has everything under control. I learn to let go of those things there is no need to hold onto. I know there is more to let go of, but He gently chisels away one by one and ”I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 3:14 Now this is the view worth looking toward! Below is a devotion that I wanted to share with all of you. What view are you focused on today?
Living Forward, Understanding Backward
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Thursday, December 01 2011
“The one who calls you is faithful and He will do it.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:24
When I was in my 20′s, I participated in a wilderness-training course in a desert and mountain area. For our “final exam,” we were blindfolded, placed in the back of a pickup truck, and taken to a remote area. We were dropped off and told to meet back at the camp in three days. We did not know where we were. We had to determine our location with our compasses. It was a frightening experience for four young people who had learned to navigate through the use of a compass only a few days earlier. With our food and water on our backs, we began our trek. It had just snowed that morning, so the way was difficult. We walked through valleys, canyons, snow-covered hills, and forests. In all, we walked more than 60 miles in three days. There were times when we did not think we could go another foot. Exhaustion and frostbitten feet were taking their toll. However, we finally made it to our base camp successfully, and to our surprise, we were the first ones among the other patrols to make it back.
At the conclusion of our journey, we were able to stand on top of a ridge, look behind us and see the beautiful terrain that we had just scaled. The pain of what we had just endured seemed to subside. We could not believe we had actually walked through those valleys and snowcapped hills. There was a sense of accomplishment.
Life is very much like this. It is often lived forward, but understood backward. It is not until we are down the road a bit that we can appreciate the terrain God has allowed us to scale and the spiritual deposits He has made in our life as a result. When you begin to realize some of this, you sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because you know that God was in control all along. It didn’t seem like it at the time, but He was.
Are you in the midst of a difficult journey that seems almost impossible to continue? Be assured that God is providing grace even now to equip you for that journey. There will be a time when you can say, “Wow, look at what God has done because of what I gained through that valley.” Trust Him with the outcome of where you find yourself today.
Filed under: Devotions, Mission Haiti Journal
