Away for a very long time
I have been away from this blog for a very long time. I love to express myself either orally or in writing. Neither of these skills am I very good at, but nonetheless, I feel compelled to.
Birth of a vision, death of a vision
My first pastor and my home group leader both spoke of the birth of a vision. God gives you a vision. Of course, you have a choice to follow it or not. Once you decide to follow the vision, days of glory, even amongst great suffering and pain, abound. This is the problem. Those days of glory can be like an intoxicating drug, hooking you into the experience so much h so that you do not want to give it up.
Here in lies the problem of the second part, Death of a vision. It is in being able to let go when God is done with the vision. If we are hooked on this drug, we do not want the vision to stop. What God has done through your actions is done and cannot be undone, but sadly, you can. We tend to hold on to this vision, trying to push it beyond that which God intended. In doing so, we often wreck ourselves, walking away in dismay and sadness.
God gave me a vision 12 years ago. It started in Mexico. That is, leading three mission trips to Mexico birthed the vision. The inception of the vision started earlier than that though with learning about Peter and stepping out of the boat when called. We were studying how Peter lost his faith and began to sink below the waves. The every merciful Jesus was there to save him. I saw that but I also so the fact that Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water for a time. I realized I needed to step out of the boat, hence, the trips to Mexico. The vision was one of evangelizing to Chinese in China. These were the most glorious days of my life. Even amidst the pain and suffering that went with living in Vietnam and China.
I made a total of six trips to Asia. The last one, I believe I forced. The vision was dying and I didn’t want to let go. Here, as I write this, five years after the last trip, I still want to believe God will send me back into the Asian mission field. But, this vision is dead, at least for me. Nonetheless, this blog will march on. I am still friends with plenty of Asians here in the U.S. and one must realize that the mission filed is everywhere, including right outside of our doors. I will continue to post my religious thoughts and rants on this blog. If you are interested, please, continue to read.
Comments