RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
As both of us pray through longings to participate in full time ministry opportunities, we also want to intentionally minister daily right where we find ourselves...right here, right now. After all, there's no sense in "waiting for our real lives to begin". Life is here and it is ripe with ministry opportunities every single hour of every single day... especially as parents!
I figure, if our life circumstances were intended to be different than they currently are, then they would be. If we were supposed to be somewhere else, doing something else, then we would be. If God had a different plan in store for us, then it would be so.
When we know with confidence that we are striving after God and His will for our lives, then we can be assured that where we are is right where we are supposed to be, for His purposes. If, on the other hand, we are chasing our own desires, disregarding prayerful submission to God's will, then perhaps we could be living in a season of preparation or discipline from a loving Father God who cares enough to rear us back on track. Even then, though, our Sitzs im Leben is under the umbrella of God's sovereign care and He has plans to use it all for good.
"Bloom where you're planted." A friend shared that with me a looong time ago and I never forgot it. Although our family has had a long time desire to serve the Lord and His people in another (simpler) country, it's remained clear that this is where He has us... for now. And so, we're going to bloom where we're planted. We're going to minister right where we are. We're going to be missionaries in our own home, neighborhood, and community... RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1
"Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season."
2 Timothy 4:2
"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you." 1 Peter 3:15
