This past Valentines’ Day, Friday, I was not really thinking about Valentine’s Day. I was devastated, hurt, and dismayed. It had already been a tough week with so many that we minister to in heavy, heartbreaking situations but then it hits home. I was holding back hot tears of hurt and anger all day. I was heartbroken and sad. Then I reached out to a couple friends. One here in Zambia and one back home. I asked them to pray. And they did.
As I sat on my bed with the humid air pouring into our bedroom window feeling mad, sad, and frustrated, I told God I needed Him. I quickly pulled up FB on my phone and saw a sermon from Founder’s Week at Moody by Francis Chan. I thought I would watch it as I was trying to stop crying and gather myself. I thought maybe God had something to say to me. God answers prayer…
It was exactly what I needed to hear. It reminded me that our decision to live for Christ is not about playing it safe, or having all our ducks in a row, or as I was thinking last Friday, that our kids should be “blessed” (in my view of course) for their obedience and sacrifice to live here and do ministry. It is about being Jesus to a lost world. Sharing the gospel to those that need to hear, and being willing to sacrifice all for this calling. ALL. I needed to have this 2x4 to the head again. The prayers of my friends were breaking through by me finding that sermon and by my heart being moved from my own self pity (or the pity for my kids here) to thinking about why we left everything behind to come here to Zambia. God answers prayer…
My heart was so miraculously lifted in those hours following my reaching out to my friends for prayer, I was able to take a deep breath and go out, regroup everyone, and suggest that we get out of Dodge and go get pizza in Lusaka for dinner. I said, we are not going to let satan get us down because God is in control of all these seemingly disheartening things. We were going to go have pizza with Jesus. Because He is enough in all circumstances, all situations, and in all difficulties and suffering. Jesus is the lover of our soul. God answers prayer…
Best Valentine’s Day ever.
