March 26, 2014
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GREAT!
One day when I was talking with my youngest daughter on the phone, she said a most insightful thing. She had been asked to take on some new responsibility at Metro Ministries in NYC where she was working. I ask her if she had decided if she was going to go for it, and she said, "I made the decision to step outside my comfort zone, because I know when I have to stretch, I grow." WOW! I was impressed.
She and her boyfriend had determined that they were not going to just be for God. They wanted to be GREAT for God. It is a choice that would cost them, but they knew that, and they were not turning back.
Now, they are preparing to embark on a new adventure. Married, with two little girls (and a baby on the way!) they are preparing to move to Siberia this September. They have felt God's call to Russia for some years now, and in the past few months, God has opened doors for them. So, they will be selling their little house in N.Ireland and moving far, far away. Pray for them, please! Pray for me, too. I am struggling a bit, although I know this is right. Obeying God is not always easy, but it is incomparably wonderful!
How many of us are willing to step outside our comfort zone? There is always that "be reasonable" voice whispering in our ear to play it safe, isn't there? Don't volunteer. Don't reach out. Keep your mouth shut. Just keep a low profile. The mediocre choice. The easy choice. The boring choice.
I often think that there are many people who are far more gifted and able than I am to be a missionary. The thing is —— I said YES! God has shown me over and over that it's not my gifts and abilities He is interested in —— It's my heart. Oh, how He looks to find someone who will say YES! Oh, how He rejoices over the willing heart!
One of my favorite books is You Were Born an Original. Don't Die a Copy, by John L. Mason. He says, "Failure is waiting on the path of least persistence." We have to push. We have to fight. We have to be determined that we are NOT going to be mediocre. Average is our enemy! "Good enough" is not good enough. Excuses don't cut it. Age is not an issue. Just step up! Just say YES, and God will empower you to do more than you ever thought you could.
Decide to be great for God.
Comments (8)
oh my, Mae, I surely understand that you would be struggling ~ bless your heart! May God enable, empower, strengthen, comfort and bless you all ~
We have friends who teach are in Russia.
They are with SEND International. They teach MKs. My God bless and encourage both them, and you.
Good Morning, Mae!!
Tough message, but the right message.
Praying for you and the new missionaries. Wow, what a challenge.
blessings
frank
what wonderful young folks you have there.
I know God doesn't have any grandkids and they aren't ours but they belong to the Lord.
But you are so lucky Mae.
Russia? wow!
You preach it Mae! Exciting times ahead for them. The same God who holds them is holding you. In our weaknesses he makes us strong and he will comfort like no other. Would much prefer to step out of the boat than stay in it going nowhere! Praying for you x
Courage in God is a scary and at the same time comforting thing. Hope the doors remain open and the move is easy. Being Great for God is wonderful...
They are going to live a big adventure in following the motto : "God called us , We are there."
Love
Michel
Oh wow. Siberia! God bless them. After this cold winter in Indiana these old bones want to go to a mission in Belize or somewhere, not Siberia.