When God wants to drill a man
And thrill a man
And skill a man,
When God wants to mold a man
To play the noblest part;
When He yearns with all His heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall be amazed,
Watch His methods, watch His ways!
How He ruthlessly perfects
Whom He royally elects!
How He hammers him and hurts him,
And with mighty blows converts him,
Into trial shapes of clay which
Only God understands;
While his tortured heart is crying
And he lifts beseeching hands!
How He bends but never breaks
When his good He undertakes;
How He uses whom He chooses
And with every purpose fuses him;
By every act induces him
To try His splendor out—
God knows what He’s about!
Author Unknown
I just finished a book titled “Spiritual Leadership” by J. Oswald Sanders. It’s funny, growing up a was always annoyed by the thousands of books my parents had lying around the house, but at some point in college I turned into them and now I have a few hundred books sure to be in the thousands by the time I’m 60 (okay, maybe that’s a little bit exaggerated, but still I think you see my point). I’m selective in what I’ll take the time to read, but generally enjoy every moment of it. Sometimes, I’m not even 100% sure where I got the name for the book or why I wanted to read it, I just do. Usually I think they are suggested by people I trust, like “Spiritual Leadership” was suggested by good ole Jamie Hipp… well from the long list of suggested reading that Hipp gave me. I did enjoy it. It made me see how I got to where I am… truth be told it was simply because no one else stepped up. A job needed to be done and I had the time to do it. Since then, the Lord has used many… oh so many things to prepare me and guide me, turn me and mold me. He has hammered so many things out of me, and yet I’m certain there are a million things left to crush out of me. There was so much truth in the book, it reminded me that I wasn’t alone. One part that I feel like sticks out at the moment was the topic of loneliness in discussing “the cost of leadership.” He mentioned several things; self-sacrifice, fatigue, criticism, rejection, pressure and perplexity, but loneliness was what sunk deep. It seems to be a place I often find myself, knowing that even if no one else fully understands all that is racing in my heart and mind, the Lord knows and I can take rest in knowing that Christ is my advocate. As I’ve studied scripture and read notes of wisdom from older men far wiser than I, one of the most common themes I’ve seen is that christians will suffer. To follow Christ is simply a request for it, but to gain Him in the end is so much sweeter and worth every second. I know that I have by no means “suffered” for Christ and although I don’t anticipate being asked to, my prayer is that I would stand strong and faithful if I am asked to suffer for His name.
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. 16 Only let us hold true to what we have attained.
Phil. 3:7-16
On the Guatemala front, I will have and debriefing over Orlando’s Training on Wednesday, my final interview with GCM on Thursday and a meeting with my coach on Friday. I think from here on out things will begin to pick up speed… and once things are going, they will go super fast. I’m just going to hold fast to the reigns and trust that God will provide everything I need.
