As a young teen, I felt the Lord calling me to missions. Although I was active in my church and the mission programs, I still had a distorted view of mission work and thought this call on my life meant I would be living in Africa! I was not willing to do that and talked with my pastor about this very honestly. Being the wise man he was, he told me not to ignore this calling, but to pray earnestly about my place in the Lord’s work. And so I did – for years – still unwilling to surrender. Then in my first year at UGA, I met some wonderful friends who showed me the joy of being completely surrendered to the Lord, regardless of where it might lead you.
Years went by, and although I continued to pray for the Lord’s will, I never strongly felt that call to foreign missions again. Fast forward 25 years, and God began revealing what that call on my life was all about. You see, I have a beautiful daughter, Sarah, who loves the Lord with all of her heart. While still in high school, she told me she felt God was calling her to serve in … AFRICA!!! She wasn’t sure for how long, or in what exact capacity, but she was (and still is) excited about this opportunity. She is simply willing to follow the Lord, wherever that leads. And you know what? I am willing to let her go! I don’t think this would be possible… but God!! God knew I would resist the call to Africa, but God also knew I would become a mom one day. God knew I would love my children with all my heart and want to keep them close, but God also knew I would want His best for them. I thought God was calling me to go to Africa, but God was calling my heart there.
Luke 12:34 says “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Sarah is truly a treasure to me, and one day as I stand with tears rolling down my face, waving as she leaves for Africa, I’ll smile knowing that my heart is there waiting for her. But God!
[ Submitted by Laura Burton ]
Laura, when I read your "But God" story, I immediately thought of a blog that I've been following for about two years now. It is http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/ and is about a young girl who went on a short-term mission trip to Africa right out of high school and basically came back to tell her parents that God had not called her to college, but had called her to Africa. She has been there ever since. The blog is a very honest look at the joy and suffering in mission work and I highly recommend it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your story and am so glad you shared it!