The Light at the End of the Tunnel

May 4, 2013

Is that what I see? The light that says this deployment is almost over???? Could it be? Yes! I think it is!

We are so much on the countdown at my house.  It was so nice to "hear" those words, "We may be leaving tomorrow or Monday."  Wow!  Music to my ears.

However, I will not celebrate until my arms are wrapped around my husband.  I will prepare, but not celebrate.

I know that with this life, anything can happen. So, I will continue to wait patiently. I will continue to pray for the safety of my husband.

And when he is home, we will not forgot those that are still in harm's way. We will continue to pray for them as well.

As the light gets brighter and nearer, there is still a decision to make....active duty or not?  We have talked about it, prayed about it, discussed it with children, and friends.  But we've yet to make the decision.  There is nothing in my eyes that is screaming NO! DON'T DO IT!  There are these subtle messages on why we should.  I received this in an email the other day, and it totally reminded me of this decision we have to make.....

You'll Never Be Ready

He [Abraham] did not know where he was going. — Hebrews 11:8  Go. Set. Ready. You’ll never be ready. You’ll never be ready to get married. You’ll never be ready to have kids. You’ll never be ready to start a business or go back to school or move to the mission field. You’ll never be ready financially, emotionally, or spiritually. You’ll never have enough faith, enough cash, or enough courage. And if you are looking for an excuse, you will always find one. I never have been, and I’m sure I never will be, ready for anything God has called me to do. This doesn’t mean I haven’t prepared myself. I’ve worked hard getting an education, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll never be ready for anything God has called me to. And that’s OK. God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. If you wait until you’re ready, you’ll be waiting for the rest of your life. The author of Hebrews writes, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). Abraham didn’t know the final destination, but it didn’t keep him from taking the first step in the journey. What’s the first step or next step you need to take in your journey? If you take the first step, God will reveal the second step. The problem is that most of us want the twenty-five-year plan before we’re willing to step out in faith. We want to know exactly where we’re going and exactly when we’ll get there, but God doesn’t operate that way. He gives us just enough revelation, just enough grace, just enough strength. Why? So we will live in daily dependence on Him. He doesn’t want us to rely on the revelation; He wants us to rely on Him. Without knowing where he was going, Abraham took the first step. And God honored it. There are moments in life when you need to quit a job, make a move, or end a dating relationship. And you need to take that step without knowing what the next step will be. Don’t wait for more revelation; be obedient to the amount of revelation God has given you. There is an old adage: ready, set, go. And I know it’s predicated on the importance of preparation. But I think it’s backward. You’ll never be ready. You’ll never be set. Sometimes you just need to go for it. The sequence of faith is this: Go. Set. Ready. Some people spend their entire lives getting ready for what God wants them to do, but they never end up doing it because they never come to the realization that they’ll never be ready. This is where so many of us get stuck. Our failure to act on what we know God is calling us to do not only breeds doubt and discouragement; it’s a form of disobedience. Nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus said “Go.” So why do we operate with this red-light mentality? Why are we waiting for the green light we’ve already been given? As Christ-followers, we are called to take a why not approach to life. It’s an approach to life that dares to dream. It’s an approach that’s bent toward action. And it doesn’t look for excuses not to do something. Don’t get me wrong. It’s awfully difficult to discern the will of God. Even after prayer and fasting, it usually entails making tough decisions. And I’m certainly not advocating a thoughtless or prayerless approach to decision making. We need to know that God is calling us to devote our lives to missions, take the internship offer, quit our job, or make the move. But I wonder if we’re so afraid of doing the wrong thing that it keeps us from doing the right thing. Excerpted with permission from Draw the Circle: The 40 Day Prayer Challenge by Mark Batterson (Zondervan, copyright 2012). All rights reserved