Time Away

Last weekend I went to Kampala with a friend and took some time away from home to pray, read God’s Word and rest. It was a very encouraging time. I spent the weekend reflecting on the book of Philippians. As I read the perspective of the apostle Paul, I was reminded that in the midst of challenging seasons, I need to cling to God’s faithfulness. 

One of the things that struck me was how Paul continually encourages the Philippians to “rejoice in the Lord.” (Phil. 3:1) I know that rejoicing is not my natural tendency. But we are told that rejoicing in the Lord is a “safeguard” for us. As I look at the world around me I see corruption, hunger, abuse, and death. But as the psalms encourage me, I need to “lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” (Psalm 121:1) If I keep focusing on the suffering, I fail to see the Savior, the One who brings help in our need. I want to lift up my eyes and fix them on Jesus.. (Heb.12:2) 

I returned from the weekend and was able to rejoice in the Lord a bit more than before. This is not a very linear process for me. I have days where I can rejoice in the midst of struggles and other days where my heart is overwhelmed with grief. Two days after I returned from Kampala there were two suicide bombs detonated in the city and others that were stopped before they could be set off. The city where I had gone for rest just two days before had become a place of chaos, confusion, death and grief. Such is the world in which we live. 

I was reminded that our rest is not found in this world. True rest and peace are found only in Jesus. Today, I cling to him more as I grieve the brokenness. It is my prayer that I can truly “rejoice in the Lord,” even while we grieve over the brokenness. As my Ugandan brothers and sisters often remind me, “God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.”

Thanksgiving and Suffering

Our transition back to life here in Uganda has not been easy sailing. While there is always a readjustment period in transitioning between worlds, this time has been the hardest I remember. While it has been a challenging season, I have seen some ways in which God is at work. 

Yesterday David was asked to speak at the GSF staff Thanksgiving Day. He taught about how we can glorify God through good times and times of suffering. He explained that if our goal is our happiness, suffering just seems to get in the way, but our true goal should be to glorify God. When our aim is the glory of God we can “give thanks in all circumstances.” That doesn’t mean that times of suffering are easy. As he spoke about Jesus waiting to answer Mary and Martha’s request to come heal their brother out of love for them, tears came to my own eyes. The seasons of waiting are hard. They are painful and often full of grief. The resurrection was coming, but Jesus still wept with Mary at the tomb of Lazarus. He knew that he allowed the season of suffering and waiting in his love for them, but he still wept. 

It is so good to know that we have a God who weeps with us. These last two years have been difficult across the globe. But Jesus stands with us as we weep and even uses the seasons of suffering to bring new life in us. I have seen that in my husband. He has become an amazing preacher in the midst of a challenging season. His teaching at the staff Thanksgiving Day was a blessing to many. He preaches at our church about once a month and I am always encouraged by his teaching. Our church is a small group of people meeting underneath a mango tree, so his sermons are not recorded. But I wish they were. I wish you could also be encouraged by the way he clearly articulates the Word of God and applies it in our lives. 

This growing gift in David has developed in the midst of some challenging times. I wish I could tell you that I see how I have grown through this season. Mostly, I see my failures and weakness. Maybe that is growth as I learn not to depend on my own strength, but on the Lord.

David concluded his talk with Philippians 4:11b-13. 

“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:11-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I certainly cannot yet claim with the apostle Paul that I have learned to be content in every situation. I often complain. I often struggle to believe that God is good when I see some of the terrible things that happen in this world. But I was encouraged seeing a small picture of the good that God is working in the midst of the hard. It is my prayer that He will give me the faith to desire his glory above my own plans and to trust Him in the difficult seasons of waiting.