Divine Interruptions-Changes that Become Part of Us

This Sunday I had the privilege to chat with my wife about her story (and our story) in ministry. It was an unusual lesson to prepare in several ways. It was easy enough to know the points to hit. We have told that story a million times as we raised funds to plant The Feast Church over the years. Sharing God’s call on our lives sort of feels rote at this point. I could anticipate what Fran was going to say before she even said it. In other ways it was emotional. The weight of God’s blessings hit heavy at several points in ways that I did not anticipate. (Thankfully she was talking so I had a chance to recover!) One of the things that struck me is how thoroughgoing the changes of my life have been.

At this point major changes that we have made as a family hardly register. Moving across the country as the parents of a newborn baby? No big deal. Fran shifting from her work in grocery stores to stay at home mom to massage therapist? Been there done that. Adding four kids to the mix? Easy breezy. At this point living as a large family in an urban context on the east coast of the USA while working at a church that was planted to reach unreached people is just who we are. None of that feels like a heavy or unusual task.

I know that is not how a younger version of us would think if we could travel back in time. We have had a ton of transitions in our married lives. Geographic moves, having kids, professional growth, relationship building…it can all be heavy in the midst of time. But God has an amazing way of turning challenges into old hat. I think very simply about how very few women who have a child immediately think “Let’s do that again!” But often after some time they do come around to considering a second child. Problems always shrink in the rearview mirror.

This is an important lesson for spiritual growth. Things that seem insurmountable in the “before” are often not so “after.” Uncertainty may actually be the dragon we most need to slay. It feels trite, but I believe it is true. Attack the future with the confidence that it is likely not as scary as it looks. God’s ability to bring us through trouble and grow our hearts through it is amazing. For me, this means that I look at future challenges as adventures as much as possible. Like Frodo leaving the Shire, we need to look into the unknown and charge forward with courage.