Appointed by WorldVenture in 2015, I wasn’t actually released to raise funds until March, 2016. Necessary training is what prevented me from sending out those emails and making those phone calls. This probably confused many as people expected to hear from me, but God was wiser. Developing as a worker in the field of social media and technology means I am developing as a person, too, and taking the scenic route to my goals.
In fact, the NIV Stewardship Bible I bought early on has been comforting. Living on the thin ice of faith means I am forcing myself to trust God to deliver on His promises and putting our lives and our finances on His altar. Stewardship principles are misunderstood, maybe even poorly worded when brought up at the pulpit on occasion. People immediately assume you or the organization needs money rather than giving as an act of worship and faith.
Seth Godin wrote “No Way Out” in this blog:
The thing is, though, that the long-term strategy might be the opposite. The best long-term approach might be to learn something, to tough it out, to engage with the challenge. Because once you get through this, you’ll be different. Better.
Engaging with this challenge means spending much more time on my knees in prayer, trusting my finances and my future with the Lord. I have no idea if our future will mean a comfortable retirement, but I do know our future won’t look like our grandparent’s future. This is okay. God will give me a place to lay my head even if it is a stone. At least, He has redeemed me from my past and His relationship is the only thing I need no matter what the future becomes. I know one thing though.
This new career path is the only way I want to go and I never want to retire. Social media and technology will change. But if we, as Christians, do not choose to change, our places of worship will become irrelevant and we will become irrelevant.
What could that look like?
- Musicians have taken old hymns and put a new twist on them. The message didn’t change. The music was re-framed.
- Remember that we do not have the right to shove our beliefs on someone else or judge them online. Re-frame your online responses to encourage a closer relationship with the Lord. Don’t be the crazy religious nut that screams at the person posting, thereby alienating them from God.
- Trust the Holy Spirit more and stop taking steps that rob God of getting the glory. Meaning, we think we have to do something to make something else happen as if God didn’t do the things He said He did; as if God needs our help somehow. Prayer is about trust, stepping back, and waiting.
Once I get through this, I’ll be different, better.