I guess it
was premature of me to write the first of what I thought would be a series of
blogs about the senior high youth group’s missions trip to West Virginia. Not long after I wrote the last blog, West
Virginia was hit by a horrific thunder storm.
The effects of high winds, rain and lightening prompted the governor to
declare a state of emergency. On the day we were to leave much of
West Virginia was without electricity, or water, and there was widespread
damage. The initial reaction of our church leaders was to delay our departure
for one day.
After church
on Sunday, students, parents and youth leaders met to discuss the situation. We were informed that at that moment there was
no electricity, no running water for drinking or showering, and no gas for
cooking. Everyone listened politely, but emotions were running high. I was
surprised at the intensity of the reactions of those impacted. Even though there would be no daily showers,
air conditioning, or hot meals, the enthusiasm of our kids could not be
dampened. If anything, it was enhanced.
They were raring to go.
Church leaders thought going would be an opportunity
for greater than usual sacrificial service, and dependence on the Lord. Parents were primarily concerned for their
children’s safety. Youth leaders’
feelings ran the gamut, from really wanting to go anyway, to being concerned
about the responsibility for the safety and well being of 18 young people in
much different circumstances than originally planned.
Next Step Ministries, the organization on
the ground, was sending their founders down to access the situation and they
would call us later on that day. In the
meantime, we prayed that the Lord would clearly reveal what we should do. And He did, but not through the report we would hear from Next Step. Out of concern for their children's safety, the parents made the decision for us and the trip was cancelled.
As Christians,
we sometimes think we need to have an explanation for unexpected things like this. We wonder why the Lord allowed this to happen
after so many months of preparation and fund raising and praying and excitement. We speculate over whether the Lord was protecting us
from some disaster we may have encountered had we gone. We wonder
whether the change in circumstances was a sign that we shouldn’t
go.
I don’t know
the answer to any of those questions, and how can we really? What I do
know is that I was not prepared to go, and so I was grateful we didn't.
Unlike previous years when I was wildly
enthusiastic and expectant of making a difference in the physical and spiritual
lives of others, this year I was just plain tired. I had been so busy all year long with the work of ministry
that I hadn’t taken sufficient time to just be with the Lord and it showed - in exhaustion, lack of patience, spiritual dryness, and a too quick desire to drop out at the first sign of changed circumstances. I was not in any shape to walk by faith.
Back in the spring,
when things were hectic, I tried to get back on spiritual track. For a stretch of several weeks I
was leaving the house every morning for the garden of a nearby church so I could
enjoy the solitude, read my Bible, and spend time in prayer. Since it was the period of time before Easter,
the sound of the church organ and the choir preparing for Good Friday and
Easter accompanied my worship. It was
a glorious time of being with the Lord and simply enjoying Him.
But then
ministry demands overshadowed time with the Lord and I was on the run again, focusing
on the good, but missing the best, right up until the day we were to leave for
West Virginia. My life was the wrong way
round – the cart before the horse – work before worship. That should not be.
My husband
and I have synchronized our calendars and they are surprisingly free of
ministry events for the entire months of July and August. I’m going to try and keep them that way.
I intend to
revel in God’s Word, appreciating Him for who He is, enjoying His company. I intend to spend uninterrupted time in
prayer, being led by the Spirit to pray for those things on God’s heart. I intend to work on the book I’m writing, and
a series of studies on the life of Abraham that the Lord spoke to me about last
summer. (If procrastination was a
spiritual gift I’d think I’d been blessed with it in abundance!)
This summer
I hope to put worship before work. The best before the good.
And next summer,
if the Lord presents me with another opportunity to go on a missions trip, I
intend to be better prepared.
Please feel free to keep me accountable!
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