(Thursday, Jan 9, 2014) I seem to have developed quite a skill at playing the “What can go wrong game.” You know what I’m talking about – being able to find the black lining in any silver cloud. I can’t take all the credit for my creative ability to worry about things for I come from a long line of those who have played the game far better than I will ever be able to. It was a way of life for me growing up. And it’s a very hard habit to break for it is rooted in fear. I think if I can somehow anticipate what will go wrong I can in some way do something about it. Unfortunately that is not true. Ironically enough, usually what does go wrong is not something I imagined but something I never anticipated at all! So why do I still play the game? For the same reason we all play it as well – lack of faith.
In the months leading up to this trip it is easy to think of all kinds of things that can go wrong just in the trip here itself. I try to commit them to God in faith and trust His promises, but it sometimes becomes a battle. What is interesting this trip is that none of the many things I thought of which can go wrong did. Strangely enough several things did go wrong which I had never imagined happening. Of course God took care of them well enough, but it really reinforced to me that worrying about what could go wrong is a useless exercise. Worse than that, it is sin.
So anyway we have arrived! Our 32 hour trip is over. We are now at Pastor Moses’ new apartment, resting and preparing for the first pastors’ conference tomorrow. We visited the orphans, lepers and Dalits his church ministers to. Let me summarize what it took to get us here by the numbers:
11 time changes we traveled through
10 months of making plans and preparations
9 hour flight from Frankfort, Germany to Mumbai, India
8 hour flight from Newark to Frankfort, Germany
7 times I’ve been to India now
6 security checkpoints to go through
5 hours sleep, total, while traveling
4 airports to navigate around
3 continents to spend time on
2 business class flights instead of economy (thanks to God and the friend who donated his miles)
1 (and this is the best of all!) wife here with me this time!!! What an amazing difference it makes having Nancy here. I keep looking at her and touching her to make sure it is real – and it seems to be! I know it’s not a dream for we haven’t had much sleep lately!
Thanks for your prayers. They are greatly appreciated. Pray God would give me the words to say to minister to the pastors tomorrow, and each day we are here.
Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Are you a worrier? What causes you the most fear?
Make a list of all the things you are worried/concerned/fearful about right now. One by one pray about them, giving them to God and trusting Him to do what He knows is best (not necessarily easiest) for you and for His Kingdom. Whenever worry tries to come again keep giving the situation back to God.