Long Lessons During the Long Winter

This morning I woke up to a beautiful layer of snow. I vaguely remember there being a prediction of a few inches, but I usually do not put too much stock into what the weathermen say. To my surprise, however, we received around five inches. It was a spectacular sight. Miles and miles of untrodded on white snow and crystalized trees. Have I mentioned how much I love the countryside?

I have spent the majority of the day working on my parents' computers. My dad and I took a field trip to McDonald's for lunch and to take advantage of their free Wi-Fi. Our phone line and Internet have been down during the day due to the ice and snow...but for some reason it works okay at night. Anyway, Dad wanted me to file his taxes for him. I would rather teach my parents how to do it themselves (empower rather than enable), but they weren't too interested, so Dad sat there while I e-filed. Since our return from town, I have been updating the desktop and fixing my mom's laptop. Some how she got a virus. I have already found and deleted over 200 infected files. There are still a few more lingering, and I am working on them right now. I really should start charging for my services. I hear techs make big bucks. ;)

I received the letter I wrote to myself from one of my last days in South Asia. It was part of the debriefing process. The letter was both encouraging and challenging. Encouraging in the fact that the Lord has allowed me to fulfill some of my plans and commitments and it was challenging because there are some things I haven't been so faithful about or that I completely forgot about.  "Remember that you were made for overseas," I wrote to myself. I haven't forgotten and my heart rings with these words.

The first sermon I heard this year at Sojourn Community Church has proven to be God's teaching theme for me so far this year. It was called "Wisdom and Planning" from Proverbs 16, which focuses on making plans and submitting them unto the Lord. What freedom we have from Christ to make plans and decisions! I am learning so much about this process and what it means to seek God's wisdom and guidance above all else. He gives us the principles and guidelines to follow and leads us by His Spirit. What I am learning is that each decision requires seeking the Lord's direction (He gives us everything we need in His Word), committing a decision to Him and then stepping out in faith. There is an element of faith and uncertainty involved, but that is what makes us trust the Lord and lean wholly on Him. It is resting is the fact that God is working for our good (Romans 8:28). I think this ties into a John Piper sermon I listened to with my sister on the way to Fredericktown. He talked about how the Lord gives us strength through the gospel and explained how that looked for both women and men. For women, he cited 1 Peter 3:5-6 and Proverbs 31:25, which describes a woman of God that does not fear the future but wholly trusts in God.

For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. 

Trust. These verses and the verses on planning and wisdom all have to do with trusting Jesus Christ with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5-6). He promises over and over to give wisdom to those who ask and to lead them on the right path (Psalm 25:5, 32:8, 112:6-7; Proverbs 2:1-11; Isaiah 30:21; James 1). He tells us not to worry about the future because He knows our needs and will provide for us (Matthew 6). As I read through Scripture, the Lord has sovereignly directed my reading towards passages that are concentrated in these areas. I have no doubt that He will continually to lead and guide me so that I can fulfill the purpose He has for me (Acts 13:36).

Well, time to watch Napolean Dynamite with the fam...