The Journey
03.09.2012
The God of Hard Places…God Loves Difficult Places
That is how the newsletter started from an organization I keep up with. They do church planting and ministry in closed countries. They do amazing work. They also made me think.
I am sitting here in Addis with an arm that is throbbing from the physical therapy they did on it today. And a heart that is sore because I really want to go back and do the work that I feel I was called to do and another week spending a minimum of four hours a day for pt is just not in my plans!
And then, I get this message from my friend Sue, “And btw (by the way) - you are on God’s time and I am pretty sure he knows what you are going through. If it was one of us you would gently remind us to look for what he is doing with the circumstances.”
Thanks Sue!
I am on God’s time and I do need to look at what he is doing with the circumstances. He is giving me time to share with old and new friends. I almost didn’t come to Addis right now. It seemed there wasn’t any reason everyone I know here was out of town except Samson and I knew he was busy. But, I came any way and I am so grateful I did.
Rachel was back in town and met me at the airport. Michael was in town and when I came to the guest house I was met by Jo Ann Griffith, a fixture at BESS and in Ethiopia for many years. That was a great surprise. So was Gummachu – the director at BESS. And friends and students of hers that dropped by for visits and catching up.
I was surprised to learn that John and Gwen Haspels were here too. They are also long term Ethiopia mission co-workers and have been working down with the Suri for many, many years.
A few days later, just as Jo Ann was leaving, in walks Doug Sensabaugh, a leader in Shennendoah Presbytery from Virginia, whom I had met on my first trip to Ethiopia. What a great surprise that turned out to be also. I met his friends Millie and Randy and we had great fun and many laughs over the course of the week.
Samuel showed up outside one day. He was the vice director at Berhane Yesus when I taught there. He needs many, many prayers. He is here for treatment for a blockage in his esophagus that prevents him from swallowing food. And today, I met Ragaa in the compound, another old friend from Dembi Dollo.
I think that is the magic of the guest house. You never know who will walk through the door. Old friendships are renewed. New friendships are created. And there is so much love, laughter and stories being told and retold, meals shared around the table and in the breaking of the bread you truly realize you are part of God’s family.
And in the stories you remember the God of the hard places, the God who loves the difficult places. And that is what I will carry forward from here. The stories and the memories shared by others here of the times that God was there for them in the hard places. There is much strength to be found for us “newbies” in that sharing. There is courage to be learned and carried forward into the times that lie ahead as a reminder that God loves the difficult places. That is where we are stretched and grow. There is wisdom to be learned that will serve as reminders in the days and months ahead.
Yes, Sue, you are right. I need to remember to look for what He is doing in these circumstances.
He is giving me about 45 minutes a day I can spend with him as I lay on the PT table, wrapped in warm towels listening to my tizae music. A time to rest and relax before the “torture” begins.
But that hour to hour and a half of “torture” is also where the healing begins. Not just for my shoulder, but for my soul as well. Both are being stretched during this time. My shoulder so it can heal. My soul so it can grow. I am learning to use that time of stretching and pulling and working on those muscles that are hurt to work on the words that God has given to me in my daily Bible readings. I am also learning to use that time to pray in a deeper way than I usually would.
So, perhaps, God is using this time of physical therapy for soul therapy as well. I just need to remember the God of Hard Places loves the difficult places and will use them as he sees fit, if I just get out of his way…
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