Bounding Along the Path

“We begin to calculate about the sacrifices, the hindrances, and the difficulties, instead of bounding along the path, in eagerness of soul, as knowing and loving the One whose call has sounded in our ears.” – C.H. Mackintosh

My life changed on April 28th of last year. A few days earlier, my friend Cassie had texted me that she wanted to talk to me about a potential ministry opportunity. OK, I thought, probably a friend is in need, or she wants to go witnessing down by the lake or something.

Nope.

“So, do you want to move to Nicaragua with me for a year?” she asked that spring evening as we hung out in our friend Emily’s living room.

Wait, whaaaaaat? I actually started laughing. “Seriously?!!!”

Yep.

That was weird, because I really thought I understood God’s trajectory for my life. I had been receiving ministry training in my local church. I worked in the school system in Milwaukee, so I have my summers off. I had spent a wonderful 7 weeks volunteering at a mission in Alaska in 2014, and was scheduled for 9 weeks there in 2015. The combination of evangelism and interaction with people from all over the world was right up my alley. And if the Lord ever led away from that, I figured I could always spend my summers in Africa where I had (hint hint) grown up. Perfect, right?

Central America was never on my radar. I assiduously avoided Spanish in high school and college, and only dabbled in it when I switched positions to work at a school in the Hispanic area of Milwaukee. I thought it was wonderful when our church supported short term trips to El Salvador and Nicaragua, especially when Cassie got to go as a translator for the team. How nice. It just wasn’t for me.

Until April 28th, when God suddenly dropped it in my lap.

The “buts” began echoing in my head immediately.  I was in my 3rd year in my dream job, working exclusively with 3 and 4 year old kiddos. I had a wonderful church family. My roots in Milwaukee were a decade deep; I’d lived there longer than anywhere else in my life. I had summers off for ministry trips. I still had school loans. I’d just signed a new lease on my apartment. I had a car. I had stuff. I had a plan.

My plan didn’t include moving away from the comfortable life I’d carved for myself in the middle of a school year to work at an academy in a country where I had never felt an urge to visit, I didn’t speak the language, and I didn’t have the foggiest idea about the culture.

The Apostle Paul in Acts 20:24, said, “..nor do I hold my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy…” Our problem is that we don’t realize how dear we are holding our life to ourselves – at least I didn’t – until God gently pries our fingers off our comforts and our unadmitted idols and our ideas of how life should be and says, “That’s not for you anymore.”

And that’s where faith begins. No calculating. No manipulating. Just bounding along the path with all the eagerness we can muster, for the Master Maker of Paths is also our wise, tender-hearted, infinitely trustworthy Father.

Throughout the next several days and weeks, Cassie and I talked, prayed, and sought counsel. The Lord began to open door after door for this unexpected new path He has set us on. He’s worked in amazing ways, large and small, to bring us to the point where we are less than 3 weeks away from flying to Managua. It’s been quite the ride already; I can’t imagine what it will be like when we actually get there.

But we know that He will be there. And isn’t that all that really matters?

Author: made4eternity

A sinner saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. View all posts by made4eternity