I was gonna write about my paper, but I really wanted to share this with you. I will try to post some links on FB later for those who are really interested in End Times prophecy that is being fulfilled around us.
The hardest thing about Bible College is not sharing a bathroom with girls I hardly know.
It's not eating food that I don't recognize by sight, smell, or taste.
It's not following a dress code that is stricter than my own.
It's not going to class everyday, or studying every night.
It's not learning to speak a language that I hated in high school.
It's not being thousands of miles from my family.
It's not hearing the same songs over and over, in two languages.
It's not running around in the sun until I'm exhausted and sunburned.
It's not taking a test, or reading a book.
It's not relearning how to make a latte because these machines are ... different.
It's not being without my favorite foods.
It's not learning a new transit "system".
It's not protecting myself from potentially dangerous situations.
It's not checking my bills to make sure they are real.
It's not even going without coffee every once in awhile.
It's not learning how to survive without a sceptic system.
The hardest thing about Bible College for this missionary-wannabe is getting up every morning at 7 am and making my bed.
That is the hardest thing for me. I don't know why. Many days I fail at this, and I roll out around 7:04, feeling like a failure. I stare at my bed, unkempt, and completely inviting. I think to myself, Self, yes that is how I think, in English anyway. I think, Self, you could just go back into that bed. Just crawl in and close your eyes for a few more minutes. You really could. No one would even know.
But then I hear another Voice, reminding me, Rachael, and that's how I know it's not me: it doesn't call me "Self". Rachael, you know you need to get up and make the bed. You need to because you are a bond slave, and you have chosen to follow God. And you have agreed to submit to whatever authority He places over you. And the authority over you now requires you to make that bed. No matter how tired you are, when your last cup of coffee was, or who is going to notice.
And so, eventually, I make my bed and get a shower. I have not forgotten, not once. And overall, it seems to have gotten easier. But some days, I really get upset with the Holy Spirit (that voice I mentioned). I want to just go back to sleep. I want to forget about my silly bed, and these silly rules about waking up at an ungodly (yes, ungodly is the right word) hour. I want to be able to keep my room how I like it, not how someone else says. But I have come to realize this is just selfishness.
Romans 12:1-2 tells us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice. And Galatians 5:1 reminds me that I have died to myself. I am not my own. I belong to my Master. And, like Him, my goal is to serve those around me, unselfishly. In 1 John, we are told over and over to love one another. In Romans, we are told that there is no authority that God has not allowed, and for that reason, we need to respect it inasmuch as it does not contradict the command of the Lord.
So I have several reasons to make my bed, and not one legitimate reason not to.
I share this with you, to show you my most sincere and honest struggle. Dorm cleaning is hard for me. It goes against everything I want to do. My flesh absolutely despises it. Not because I am messy; I'm actually pretty organized, but because it is someone else's imposed standard of "clean".
Pray with me that I can learn to love following this rule. And that God can be glorified in this weakness.
I challenge you to search your heart and see if there is not a rule or a task that you hate. Learn to follow/do it with joy. Remember that it is a service unto God. Even if it doesn't seem like it. I'm right there with you. I understand, but, like me, you have no excuse.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Living the Dream
One day this week, I changed my Facebook status to reflect how amazing it is to live the life that I have prayed for for several years. Sometimes I say that I am living the life I have dreamed of. But that is not exactly true. I have, like most people my age, dreamed up many lives that are not a reality for me right now. I still have dreams and desires that I hope to fulfill if the Lord does not return in the next 20, 40 or 60 years and I am still alive. I have one dream to teach English in China. That has been my dream since I was 14. I dream of living for at least a year on each continent (except Antarctica). I dream of starting a Christian community theatre. I dream of being fluent in 5 languages. I dream of getting married, having children, adopting. These are my dreams. I desire to be near my family when I am raising my children. I desire a husband who has a heart for the same ministry as me. I desire to get my teaching degree, and a master's in theology. I desire to have a cup of coffee each morning as long as I live. These are my desires. But there is a difference between the life I dream of, the life I desire, and the life that I am praying for, in the past, and even now.
I have all these dreams of great things, and plans and desires that are good. But when I pray, not always, sometimes I even pray in the flesh. But usually, when I pray, I pray for God's will. I pray that God would take and form my desires and my dreams into His. And mostly I pray that He would lead me into a life where I can serve Him according to the call I already know He has placed in my life.
There is a verse that has helped me in learning to love the life I live. It is Psalm 37:4. It says: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart."(NIV) This seems to contradict verses that tell us of the wickedness of our heart, or verses about being content in all things. This seems to say that God will just give us what we want if we follow Him. But we must interpret this verse correctly in light of what we know from Scripture, and what we know about God.
First let's look at the conditional part of this verse... the first phrase tells us what our part is in receiving this blessing. It says, "Delight yourself in the LORD". When we delight ourselves in the LORD, our delight, and our desires are the things that please Him. Our ultimate desire becomes serving Him, doing His will. So, if we delight ourselves in Him, He will conform our desires to His. In this way, our desires will be fulfilled.
God never leaves His servants with unfulfilled desires. He will either fulfill your dreams or change them. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 says, "To this end we also pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power." (NASB) He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He works in us to will and to complete the work He has began.
My dream was to live in China and be a missionary there, but I prayed for God's will, and my dream has changed. Now I have new dreams and new desires that are being continuously changed or fulfilled before my very eyes. I am blessed to live the life of my dreams, but not the life I dreamed of, the life I prayed for.
This is the life that is available to anyone who prays for God's will, and delights in the Lord. You may not have all your current dreams fulfilled, but when He changes your desires, He will not fail in fulfilling them, in His way and in His timing. Praise the Lord; He is the good and true God.
I have all these dreams of great things, and plans and desires that are good. But when I pray, not always, sometimes I even pray in the flesh. But usually, when I pray, I pray for God's will. I pray that God would take and form my desires and my dreams into His. And mostly I pray that He would lead me into a life where I can serve Him according to the call I already know He has placed in my life.
There is a verse that has helped me in learning to love the life I live. It is Psalm 37:4. It says: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart."(NIV) This seems to contradict verses that tell us of the wickedness of our heart, or verses about being content in all things. This seems to say that God will just give us what we want if we follow Him. But we must interpret this verse correctly in light of what we know from Scripture, and what we know about God.
First let's look at the conditional part of this verse... the first phrase tells us what our part is in receiving this blessing. It says, "Delight yourself in the LORD". When we delight ourselves in the LORD, our delight, and our desires are the things that please Him. Our ultimate desire becomes serving Him, doing His will. So, if we delight ourselves in Him, He will conform our desires to His. In this way, our desires will be fulfilled.
God never leaves His servants with unfulfilled desires. He will either fulfill your dreams or change them. 2 Thessalonians 1:11 says, "To this end we also pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power." (NASB) He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He works in us to will and to complete the work He has began.
My dream was to live in China and be a missionary there, but I prayed for God's will, and my dream has changed. Now I have new dreams and new desires that are being continuously changed or fulfilled before my very eyes. I am blessed to live the life of my dreams, but not the life I dreamed of, the life I prayed for.
This is the life that is available to anyone who prays for God's will, and delights in the Lord. You may not have all your current dreams fulfilled, but when He changes your desires, He will not fail in fulfilling them, in His way and in His timing. Praise the Lord; He is the good and true God.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
The Earth Shook Yesterday
Yesterday started like any other Saturday, only quieter. We had a group at a surf camp, and a group in Canta on a retreat, and a group leaving early for the beach with the kids from their outreach. I was enjoying my day, but was rather preoccupied with thoughts about finances, and whether or not my brother is moving, and buying laundry detergent, and unfinished homework for my Revelation class. Like I said- a normal day.
Then, I made my bed, placing Po the Panda beside my pillow, and whispering a prayer for my niece. I did some reading, still distracted, and praying for all the things I think I need.
Opening my computer is the next step in my day usually, and I wanted to see if my parents had heard about the insurance situation, yet. Seeing that I had no reply on Skype and no new emails, Facebook was the next logical step. And a few comments on my news feed caught my eye. One was to my dad, one to my sister-in-law and one to me, from a worried friend who was certain I was under a building somewhere. Another well-meaning friend also wanted to make sure that I wasn't caught in the rubble-y aftermath of the giant earthquake I had no idea about. I knew that something was up, but for some reason didn't immediately check the news, but kept chugging along with my to-do list after reassuring my friends and family that I had not even heard of any earthquake in Peru, and that I and all my friends were very safe despite their bad source of information.
At "Brunch" the other students explained the situation to me. Chile is a mess. There are tsunami warnings all over the Pacific west coast, and Hawaii. I went upstairs and read the news. Cities in rubble, roads overturned, death toll rising. My heart skipped a beat as I prayed.
Thoughts were with our friends on the beach, friends in Hawaii, missionaries in Chile... no wonder my friend thought I was dead. The news looked bad. And it was.
My next thought: Wat if it was me?
Not too long ago there was an earthquake in Haiti, and the next was in Chile. And they aren't going to stop. The earth is headed to it's end, and I can joyfully shout, "Maranatha, come Lord Jesus!" But He's not here yet. Am I really living like today could be my last on earth until the Millennium?
In our Revelation class, we were just talking about the eminent return of Christ. it should make each of us wake up and live for God. We should be trying to take as many hurting souls with us to heaven as we possibly can because the next earthquake could hit you... or them.
I am certain beyond doubt that I am going to spend eternity with my victorious Savior. Why? Because I have accepted His sacrifice on the cross in exchange for my sin. Jesus took my place and yours so we wouldn't have to go to Hell, and so we wouldn't have to suffer the wrath God will one day pour out on the earth that has rebelled against Him. Then, after three days, He rose from the dead, proving that we too will rise with Him if we choose to follow Him and accept His free gift of Salvation. Soon, He will return and Redeem those, both live and dead who have called on Him for forgiveness.
If you haven't, please do, before it's too late. And if you have, please join with me in sharing the hope hat with share with the lost and dying world... before it's too late.
It may be another earthquake that takes you or it may be the Rapture. Either way, what service will you have to show when you stand before the One who died in your place. If God has asked you to do something, anything, what are you waiting for. The Earth Shook Yesterday.
Then, I made my bed, placing Po the Panda beside my pillow, and whispering a prayer for my niece. I did some reading, still distracted, and praying for all the things I think I need.
Opening my computer is the next step in my day usually, and I wanted to see if my parents had heard about the insurance situation, yet. Seeing that I had no reply on Skype and no new emails, Facebook was the next logical step. And a few comments on my news feed caught my eye. One was to my dad, one to my sister-in-law and one to me, from a worried friend who was certain I was under a building somewhere. Another well-meaning friend also wanted to make sure that I wasn't caught in the rubble-y aftermath of the giant earthquake I had no idea about. I knew that something was up, but for some reason didn't immediately check the news, but kept chugging along with my to-do list after reassuring my friends and family that I had not even heard of any earthquake in Peru, and that I and all my friends were very safe despite their bad source of information.
At "Brunch" the other students explained the situation to me. Chile is a mess. There are tsunami warnings all over the Pacific west coast, and Hawaii. I went upstairs and read the news. Cities in rubble, roads overturned, death toll rising. My heart skipped a beat as I prayed.
Thoughts were with our friends on the beach, friends in Hawaii, missionaries in Chile... no wonder my friend thought I was dead. The news looked bad. And it was.
My next thought: Wat if it was me?
Not too long ago there was an earthquake in Haiti, and the next was in Chile. And they aren't going to stop. The earth is headed to it's end, and I can joyfully shout, "Maranatha, come Lord Jesus!" But He's not here yet. Am I really living like today could be my last on earth until the Millennium?
In our Revelation class, we were just talking about the eminent return of Christ. it should make each of us wake up and live for God. We should be trying to take as many hurting souls with us to heaven as we possibly can because the next earthquake could hit you... or them.
I am certain beyond doubt that I am going to spend eternity with my victorious Savior. Why? Because I have accepted His sacrifice on the cross in exchange for my sin. Jesus took my place and yours so we wouldn't have to go to Hell, and so we wouldn't have to suffer the wrath God will one day pour out on the earth that has rebelled against Him. Then, after three days, He rose from the dead, proving that we too will rise with Him if we choose to follow Him and accept His free gift of Salvation. Soon, He will return and Redeem those, both live and dead who have called on Him for forgiveness.
If you haven't, please do, before it's too late. And if you have, please join with me in sharing the hope hat with share with the lost and dying world... before it's too late.
It may be another earthquake that takes you or it may be the Rapture. Either way, what service will you have to show when you stand before the One who died in your place. If God has asked you to do something, anything, what are you waiting for. The Earth Shook Yesterday.
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