Dan comes home with exciting stories of patients he’s helped in the hospital: a baby saved from meningitis, a cured snake bite, a life rededicated to God. I love to hear the work he gets to be a part of there, but at times it can be a trial for me. Nobody ever says, “I want to do the mundane and ordinary for God,” instead they say, “I want to do glorious things for the Lord.” God is chiseling away at my heart and mind to be satisfied with the small work of being a mother and wife here on the field, and I’m afraid He’s had to do a little more hammering and it’s been a little more painful than I would like to admit. Since receiving a call to missions when I was 17 I have had a lot of time to contemplate what my service on the field would look (and feel) like. Reading some of the biographies of passionate missionaries from earlier years one’s head can get filled with all kinds of ideas how the field will be. I’m not in any way saying we shouldn’t be filled with hope that hundreds can be reached through the ministry the Lord has placed us in or that we should ever give up on the idea that awesome things can occur on the mission field, but to be here day in and day out cooking, cleaning, and changing diapers it can be a challenge to see things in an eternal perspective. I must be confident of God’s call on my life and rest in his peace that I am here, “For such a time as this,” changing diapers and all. Only God fully knows the sphere of influence I have on those I may interact with and maybe it’s better this way. If we always knew how our Christian, Spirit-filled lives lived out every day in the normal activities of living affected those around us we may take to our own credit the good others saw in us, instead of the glory given to God. “So Lord, help me to praise You as I clean up spilt milk and cookie crumbs, help me to smile at the fruit vendor and say, ”Hi,” to the bread lady. I need your grace to make my tedious, repetitive everyday action a song of praise to You. And help me to trust that You have me here for a reason as I seek to glorify your kingdom.”
“God is not unjust; He will not forget your work or the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Hebrews 6:10-12
I've been trying to reach you on Skype the last couple of days, but I've been on too late in the day. I love you whether you feel as though the things that you are doing are mundane or not. You are being used as a tool probably much more than you know. I'm going to be contacting Holly Linder sometime soon so I can give her things to give to you. (I'm going out to ID for a wedding, so I'll give her the things there.) You are a wonderful mother and a wife. I know that I have learned so much from you, and I look forward to implementing some of those great things you do with Caleb and Jael when Chad and I have kids. I hope you don't mind that I'm posting this here. I wasn't sure which place you would read first.
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Kristina, thank you for sharing from you heart. It really touched me. I have been struggling with the same things this year since beginning the homeschooling with Landon. I feet stuck at home and I get very frustrated at times. Satan wants us to think we're not worthy of our calling, and he wants to rob us of our joy. I loved what you said about praising God in the mundane. I don't have diapers and messy hands to clean, but I have lessons to oversee and papers to grade. Today I'm choosing joy! Blessings to you, Sherri
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