Thank God for being able to see all that you have not yet been. You have had the vision, but you are not yet to the reality of it by any means. It is when we are in the valley, where we prove whether we will be the choice ones, that most of us turn back. We are not quite prepared for the bumps and bruises that must come if we are going to be turned into the shape of the vision. We have seen what we are not, and what God wants us to be, but are we willing to be battered into the shape of the vision to be used by God? The beatings will always come in the most common, everyday ways and through common, everyday people.


I love Oswald Chambers!  Somedays he just nails it!!


I am not saying they are beating us at language school!!  Although my mouth feels like it by the end of drills and I never knew my toungue could move in so many directions. According to one of the definitions for beatings on dictionary.com ... to flutter, flap, or rotate in or against ... In that case, they just might be - my lips, tongue, throat etc sure have been fluttered, flapped and rotated this week, with more to to come.  Ok, enough of that...


There have been and will continue to be bumps and bruises along the way, and more to come throughout this journey.  I never really thought about it, I've taken some nose dives off the top of the mountain, but I don't think I have ever really hit bottom.  I am sure those days are coming.  It is what I do with them that is important.

I can turn away and try to handle them myself or I can trust God to pull me through the rough times.  Some of those are going to be much easier because of the skills we are learning and working through this week.  Some of them will be easier for being able to speak the language, communicate. Some of them because of the memory of working through the hard drills, some because of memories of the people that have crossed our path during this time together.  What is important to remember ,even when the road is hard and long, we will make it up to the top of the next hill by taking one step at a time forward.

Peace,
Sharon