The Journey takes time. That issue makes some of us hesitate because we are always looking for quick fixes. But what are the results of “quick fixes?” Seldom are they long lasting. The Journey sets the bar pretty high. That’s what sets it apart, I believe.
We need time for growth. True discipleship doesn’t take place in a microwave environment. We need time for relationships. Our relationship with Jesus and our relationships with people all take time.
There is a time for everything,and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. Ecc. 3:1-8
What to do with our time?
We all have the same number of hours, of minutes, 365 days of the year. While I’ve often said the words, “I don’t have time,” I realize that I do what I want to do with my time.
In mid-2013, our family lost one of our children, Aaron. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever endured. It was “a time to mourn.” I knew God was in control, yet I grieved deeply and my heart was broken.
Yet now I see how God had been preparing me for that season. As I had worked through the VantagePoint3 processes, God was bringing my heart closer to His, more deeply connected to His plan for my life. God was preparing me for my hardest days.
And he was building a community around me. Many in my community were those who had gone through the VP3 processes with me. My world stopped on that day. And my friends acted like their worlds stopped, too. They gave me the gift of their time.
Being friends with my family was messy and hard. But our community loved us through. Because of the way God used His people and His Church, we survived that horrible season.
So while I will always miss my precious boy, and my heart yearns to see him in heaven, this is a new season with new work for me to do. I’ve always worked for ministries, but the privilege of working with VantagePoint3 has been a gift. It is a fresh start, which has been helpful in my healing process. And I get to meet with people like you – people who God has transformed through the VP3 processes.
What’s your next step?
If God’s been nudging you to take the next step in your relationship with Him, please consider The Journey, A Way of Life, or the brand new Walking with Others. It is my prayer that He won’t be preparing you for what I faced, but we all know there are changes and challenges ahead.
I just received a call telling me a missionary in Nigeria is wishing we had translations available in the Hausa language. These are common requests, and we need your help to expand the availability of this work. If you want to be part of VantagePoint3’s new season of growth by reaching out to new churches in new communities, please consider joining our Sustainer’s Team with a monthly financial partnership. (click here to join)
God is up to something – in you and in your church. He’s up to something in VP3, too. Won’t you join us as we follow God’s next steps?
