My husband is happy to eat any kind of food and would be happy to have a toastie or a roast for dinner, because his contentment comes from feeling full.
I, on the other hand, have a high value of flavour! And texture, and colour, and all good things about a fantastic meal. I enjoy yummy food so much that I will often sing during eating it - yum yum yum! Or be unable to sit still because another response to enjoyment for me, is dancing. I currently am working at Poppies for Grace, where we take it in turns to make each other lunch every day - and these women are seriously good cooks. Everyday lunchtime is a delight. I have learnt the secret to being content when I have plenty!! But where we are going, there are many hungry people. In fact the entire nation is starving - and continually experiencing famine. How selfish the above abundance of delighting in food seems when I think of this. How different will our meals be, when we can get our hands on beans and rice, and a mango for dessert... my kids will be hungrier than they are here, and I will have to say 'It's ok to be hungry sometimes.' The whole thing seems very hard to feel ok about, in every aspect. My hungry kids, my hungrier neighbour, my not as yummy as Melbourne food, the ridiculousness of thinking about Melbourne food when people are starving. I'm sharing a link on Joy in Suffering - not because having beans and rice everyday is suffering, because it's not, but because I can imagine myself 'grumbling' about it when I reminisce about the fantastic meals I enjoy here! And in that moment, and all other moments that are more legitimately hard, I want to be content in Christ's company and the peace of knowing His Sovereignty. This will make more sense if you listen to John Piper for 8mins. www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-the-secret-of-joy-in-suffering
1 Comment
Anticipation can have all sorts of other emotions attached to it. Excitement, fear, anxiety, denial, hope, impatience, peace… we could think of more. In anticipation for moving to Niger, God’s been showing me some interesting things. He reminded me of my two labours. Bear with me, this will become an analogy. My anticipation for the birth of Hunter went something like this: ‘This is going to likely be the most pain ever, but bring it on, cos I’m a woman and I’m made for this. I’m not afraid of the pain, I’m going to suck it up and there will be an awesome result.’ Subsequently, hormones kicked in, and enabled that labour to be quite doable.
In anticipation for Belle’s labour, I was looking after a one year old, not thinking about it at all, assuming she would be overdue and I’d need a ceasar anyway. So when it started, I freaked out, fought the pain, was convinced I shouldn’t be experiencing it, had no game plan, no expectations, wanted it desperately not to be happening, and subsequently it ended up being quite traumatic. I often reflected on this and wondered if there was a way of embracing the pain of life that enabled God to journey it with me and make it easier, like Hunter’s labour. A general attitude towards life – do I innately believe ‘life isn’t fair, life will be hard’ – and therefore it doesn’t take me by surprise, I don’t fight it, and God walks me through it. Or do I believe life is supposed to be good all the time, and hard things are not in His plan. In which case, when hard things come – Why is this happening? What am I doing wrong? Am I out of his will? My first experience in Niger 8 years ago, most of you will know, was a struggle to say the least. God recently revealed to me my attitude during that time was much like Belle’s labour. I just turned up, thinking everything will be fine, no game plan, no preparation, no expectation of hardship, no way to work with what was going on except to fight it. He suggested to me that this time around, we do it like Hunter’s labour. Expect it will be hard. Expect there will be pain. But know that you were made for it, and that God will be with you, and there will be a wonderful result. This anticipation is accompanied with peace. It used to be accompanied with fear. But I know God is faithful, that He stands with me in hard times, that no weapon forged against me will prevail, and that He is my ultimate refuge. What is your labour? What do you believe about life’s hardships? |
AuthorWe are Brad, Andy, Hunter and Belle. Hoping to keep you connected! Archives
May 2019
Click to set custom HTML
|