Missions Week changed significantly from what we had planned. A foot of new snow and temperatures into the single digits has a way of creating new agendas. As frustrating as it may be, what a great metaphor for the constant adjustments all of us, especially missionaries, must make to serve the Lord. There are so many elements of the various contexts in which we serve that are out of our control. This leads once again to the most critical issues related to anyone's service for Christ: full surrender to the Lord and total dependence on Him.
We believe that Jesus is the Lord of the Church. Ultimately He controls its growth ("I will build my church..." - Matthew 16:18) and the conditions in which He calls the Church to exist. Surrendering to Him and total dependence on Him means developing a righteous flexibility, which He then can use as He directs us to do His will. It also means embracing a willingness to be surprised, seeing that the Lord sometimes uses the frustrations of our plans to accomplish the greater good of His will.
Surrender, dependence, flexibility, and appreciation for surprise--these are ubiquitous components of our service for Christ, especially in reference to missions. If we learn to embrace these as a result of this week's snow and cold, then Missions Week will have accomplished a great work in our hearts as well as in the hearts of our missionary guests.
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