Have you ever felt like you were so in step with exactly what God was wanting you to do in your life. Things were going great, all cylinders were clicking in rhythm. You were reading your bible, you were in a great bible study, you were attending worship and really getting something out of it each week. And then all of a sudden, someone rejects you or something you did and now you are questioning everything. Have you been there?
As we starting our mission work years ago, everything fell into place so easily and simply. Fundraising was never difficult. God was performing miracles and we got to be on the sidelines watching Him work. It was perfect but that feeling did not last for long.
We soon started to face struggles in our work. Some of the struggles we faced during our years in ministry included: no donations coming in to fund our orphanages; friends and family rejecting our call to work with orphans; and no one wanting to help with the work that needed to be done to rescue more orphans. These struggles caused us to rethink what we were doing. Had God really called us into mission work with orphans? Or was it the travel and exotic locations that called to us and not the Lord? God never said following Him would be easy or that we would not face problems. In fact, Jesus said just the opposite in Matthew 10:34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” If we follow the calling that Jesus is placing on our life, our journey will not be easy but we must push on.
Many people will start the journey to answer God’s call. When the pathway gets rough some will turn away and return to the old ways. Some will reason that the difficulties are showing them that this is not the right calling for them, so they give up.
We have never given up on our work with orphans. We are now into our 18th year on this path and I can’t imagine how my life would have been without this work. Some years we struggle, some years we don’t but God is always faithful. We have learned that the seasons of our ministry have purpose also. We remain faithful to the calling and learn from the rejections. A great reminder to us is Proverbs 16:3 Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
