Obedience to the Call

Someone near and dear to me has been trying out online dating! And to that, I say way to be brave and put yourself out there. As we all know, dating is not for the faint of heart.

In fact it's hard, really hard.

And time and time again, date after date, this person that's near and dear to me is disappointed. Perhaps he's too short, too quiet, a mama's boy, not stylish enough, not funny enough, not chivalrous enough, not fit enough, not strong enough in his faith...you fill in the blank.

And I can't help but wonder, how often do we do this?  How often do we recite this superficial list of boxes the guy doesn't tick in order to justify a lack of connection? And is this type of justification even necessary?

And I'm sure if we're honest with ourselves, we all have our lists right...of expectations for the partner we envision(ed) ourselves with? And how many of you are married to partners that tick EVERY single box on that list? The reality is...they will tick some, the important ones, but the superficial ones will be tossed aside.

Because ultimately, it is the call of God that draws you and pulls you toward the other person, and not a superficial list. And if you don't feel that God given connection, then it's hard to argue with that. If you fully believe this, then there's no need for the superficial justifications.

Peter and I have been married for 6 years and 9 months, and those who know me, know that I adore my husband. But if I'm incredibly honest, I had a list, I had expectations, and nowhere on that list did it say Irish National. Nowhere on that list did it say...sign me up for a cross cultural marriage, sign me up to marry someone very different from myself, sign me up to marry someone who will refine and challenge me DAILY!

And when I think about my relationship with Peter, I think about the fact that God called us to each other. Peter may not have been the man I would have chosen for myself, but God knew best, and I chose God's best. And yes, even to this day, there are things about him that drive me crazy at times, just like there are things about me that drive him crazy. But we are able to see past all those things because we believe God called us to each other, and by marrying, we were being obedient to that call. He knew best..far better than I did and His way and His plans are far greater than mine. And my prayer is that we never lose sight of that call.

So my advice to marrieds and non marrieds alike...Hold fast to that call. Be obedient. The superficial things fall by the wayside when you feel called to your partner. And by the grace of God people can change. Just toss all your expectations and any sense of entitlement out the window and see where God leads you.

Responsibility.

One thing I have realized while being here is that we are so blessed, but it truly is what we DO with our blessings that really matter. I will never forget the wise words from a guest speaker in my graduate program…you are responsible as far as you are response ABLE. He is saying if you have the resources and the ability to make a difference, if you have the ability to respond to a situation or an act of injustice, then you must respond, and you actually have a responsibility to respond. When we went to the mass massacre site Barlonyo, it didn’t seem right to take pictures, but they said take pictures and tell everyone our stories, tell them what you have seen so that it never happens again. Makes me think about all the tragedies, all the injustice that has occurred due to a lack of action, a lack of accountability, a lack of knowledge.

My heart aches, as I watch the luscious, green land race past my window. My heart aches at the thought of leaving this place. My heart aches at the thought of having a dream fulfilled. Although the dream to see Africa has been fulfilled, the yearning will forever remain, perhaps the yearning will be worse this time around considering I have finally experienced it. We have only been here a week, and I already know it will be so very hard to board the plane back to Seattle. Don’t misread my message, I will be returning to the states, perhaps reluctantly and I may be dragging my feet a bit, but we will be returning.

One calling I have always felt on my heart is the calling to share injustices in the world with those who are unaware. I love sharing stories and asking questions in order to make those tragedies and injustices a reality to those in the West. I love educating people about the ways they can impact others in other countries. I love building bridges and connecting people to a world they never knew existed. I truly feel the Lord has called me to be an ambassador for injustice…for the poor, the needy, for children. This African sojourn has simply confirmed that calling because I am DYING to get home to share all these experiences with people in person, and the tears come to my eyes when I think about the joy I will receive from sharing stories face to face.

P.S. none of these are our photos. for some reason we can't upload them on here. So i have resorted to stealing images off the internet. These are photos of Barlonyo.