Letting Go

In 1994, God called my wife Stacy and I into missionary service.  But the process didn’t start in 1994!  That year was only the culmination of many years of pushing our own agenda and fighting God’s.  For years we had felt his nudging, but could never agree on how or when or even if to move forward.  We kept running from the idea, but it kept hounding us, relentless and uncompromising.  Then, on a cool fall evening in western Michigan, we finally stopped running, and the rest as they say, is history.  It would take a long time to share the ups and downs, the joys and pains, the surprises, and the frustrations of serving as missionaries since that day when we surrendered our plans to his will.  I’ll spare you the details, but I will say this:  There are many things we have learned over the years, but among the most important is this simple truth - God wants to use you wherever you are, in whatever situation you might find yourself in.  We only need to surrender to Him.  Right, I know. Easier said than done.

But that’s just the point.  It isn’t the easy way.  In fact, sometimes it’s just plain hard, and sometimes it even seems overwhelming and impossible.  But that doesn’t make it any less true.  Maybe God has something impossible for you to do!  Perhaps God is calling you into missionary service on another continent, in another culture.  You might be absolutely terrified of that thought (most of us would be), but no matter how hard you try to run from it, it will always find you.  You see, when God is seeking you, pestering you, and even annoying you, it’s likely because he has something very special for you and he doesn’t want you to miss it!  Stop running, and start listening.  Then let God begin to use you in ways you could never have imagined.  Trust me. I know.

P.S.  Like most mission organizations, ECM utilizes missionaries to assist in our work in Africa.  If you would like to talk about the possibility of serving with ECM, just contact us and we can start talking.  Don’t worry – no pressure, and no obligation!