weakness

How often will God remind me of my weakness this summer?
It's humbling over and over to realize that I am not in control. Although I have been placed in leadership as a position here, that does not grant me omnipotence in solving issues or helping people, or in any situation for that matter.
I mean, I hate not being able to help people. It seriously makes me uncomfortable when I can't think of a way to make someone feel better. I am a very empathetic person... so your pain is mine.
So when things come up like one of my boys finding a tumor in his leg when he is only 9 and by no means could afford treatment for anything along that line.. well, it makes me want to just give up. I can't do anything about it. It breaks my heart, but it's easy to sit there and simply crawl into despair in our weakness-but contrary to this, God's word says that His strength is found in our weakness. While this is true and so easy to proclaim in times of spiritual weakness, at the same time, in situations like this, it's the same. While I can't be there to hold this boy and financially support Luís, God will provide people around him if I have faith and am fervent in prayer to ask for His help. This is the trust that we have to have. Trust that no matter what we are faced with, whether God grants us the position and the means for Him to work through us specifically to bring His healing and justice, or if we have to submit to the truth that He will use others at some point and perhaps not while we can even see it- in any case, He is sovereign over all. His will is greater than ours, His ways higher than ours.
Pray that I will be able to see this not only in my brokenness over the situations with my children, but also with broken relationships and such among the team.
Lamentations 3:22-33

eternidad

You know, it's so easy to focus ourselves on day to day lives. Even if we're stuck on the past or on 27 days from now (boo), a year from now, or 10 years from now, what we're missing is that each and every part of our lives, every second, every minute affects eternity.
My supervisor spoke this morning at church about how God has entrusted us with everything we have-money, clothing, etc, but how often do you think about the hearts and souls of the people we come in contact with? Can we honestly say that we have been faithful with everything that God has entrusted us in ministry-not just on mission trips, but throughout our daily lives?
Yeesh.
I don't know. That just super convicted me today. It's so easy to become focused on efficiency and forget that the goal is not the speed of what we do, but who we do it for and our goal in mind for each and every person we come in contact with- that they may know the freedom we have found in the grace and love of our Lord.
So there you go.
Anyway.
This week, one of my favorite groups from Arkansas (Ar-kansas) is coming, so I am so so so excited! They are hardworking and wonderful, so be in prayer. And with that, be in prayer for our center. We have started a semi renovation project on our building (which was built in approx. 1960), so the falling down wooden panels on our walls have begun to be taken down and will be sanded and painted over with a more joyful color yellow-all thanks to some sweet sponsors donating $500 to each center to work on projects with! We do need about $500 more to finish our project, so be in prayer for that as well that the Lord will provide (I know He will) :)!
If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me! -Psalm 66:18-20
Remember that if we come before the Lord clean from iniquity asking for His help, He will be faithful to listen! How awesome is our God?