Lately, we’ve been flying a lot. Counting our time spent in airports waiting for our connecting flights, we spent 24 hours going to Liberia and another 24 hours on our return. With this travel schedule and all that goes with it, I’ve been MIA here on the shift – I’ve been busy shifting. I’ve been shifting everything from luggage to family members.
In a week we will travel again to Burundi. I’m excited to go because I will see our school, New Hope Academy, that opened in September last year. I wasn’t able to be at the dedication ceremony for several reasons so Jamie (hubby) went for both of us. In March we completed building two more classrooms to expand the school. I’m so excited to see everything and breathe in the goodness of God!
Side effects of shifting
A big side effect of what we do is being tired. I find that the load of travel paired with the load of the work that we find when we arrive wherever we are going to has a physical effect. Sometimes, it’s overwhelming, the tiredness that we feel. It can take a few days of rest to get back into a normal routine.
Speaking of normal, when has my life ever been normal? Not often. Whenever I have tried to be normal, my abnormal side has kicked in. I think it must be this way for you who are reading. Whoever God has destined for you to be wants to break out of the scourge of fitting in with the crowd. I want to encourage you today with this eclectic post about being MIA on the shift to be who God has made you to be.
God loves you and He likes you
About ten years ago I heard a lesson that changed the way I thought about myself. I was present at a teaching here in South Africa at Hatfield Christian Church. The person giving the lesson said, “God made you and He loves you. Not only that, He likes you.” Let that sink in for a minute. For me, it meant that God made me and I don’t have to try to be anyone else. He actually rejoices over who I am and enjoys my company.
“The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV
Full of flaws
Initially, it was difficult for me to grasp that God, my Father, would enjoy my company as I’m so full of flaws. Why would a perfect God want to rub shoulders with an imperfect creature like myself? It was difficult for me to accept. With the passage of time, I slowly began to believe that God does really love and like me. I understood that He wouldn’t criticize or let me down. He would correct of course, but never out of anger or rejection. Everything that He does is perfectly orchestrated to meet my needs. I’m never fearful being thrown out like day-old bread.
People will fail us, but God never will. We will fail Him, but He will never run from us because He loves us. You don’t have to work or do anything to get God to love you more. His love is steady and strong. His love gives us reason to rest when we work like we’ve been working. We work out of our rest, out of our confidence that His love carries us. Our perspective for working changes from “having to” to “wanting to.” I want to serve God because I love Him.
Being loved and cared for by God makes all the effort we put into our moments of shifting worth it. For the next few weeks I may continue to be MIA on the shift from time to time. But, that’s ok because I’m busy breathing in the moments of this life He’s given me.
Thank you for that reminder, Leah! Praying for you and Jamie and Andreya. Love hearing about all that is coming to fruition from the seeds you have planted…and are still planting! A big garden means consistent cultivation and tending, but a bountiful harvest will bless so many.
Thank you so much for the encouragement. ❤️