It is the nature of mobilization to say, “Hey, how about we do this thing we haven’t done yet?” For some, that type of thinking is all fun and unicorns. Others, however, particularly those who are in charge of “what we’re currently doing,” might not be so enthusiastic.
– Read More From Missions Catalyst
30 Days of prayer to raise my support from 34% to 40% sounds good. Scheduling open meetings every Friday in March is always risky, but I did with hands open to what God wills. Even as I write this, I am sitting in one of those coffee shops with my laptop open and the chair in front of me empty. Yet, as I catch up on email and blogging, I see this newsletter in my inbox from Missions Catalyst.
Notably, this quote strikes me,
“I want things to happen fast. I delight in the rapid movements to Jesus we increasingly hear about. But I know one of God’s basic units of work is the transformation of the human heart and that usually takes time. As do learning a language, shifting the missional direction of a church, or opening eyes that have by years of habit been closed to certain works of God. We need determination over time.
William Carey, when asked late in life how he accomplished so much, replied, “I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.” (Read more.)
It’s that grit, that determination, that helped Carey and so many others live lives that qualify them to be on the “of whom the world was not worthy” list in Hebrews 11. Don’t grow weary of doing good (Galatians 6:9), and don’t give up praying (Luke 18). God will bring about his results through you.”
Plodding is my new word. As I sip a latte, look up expectantly each time the door to the coffee shop opens, I focus on plodding. I answer emails, write blogs, meet deadlines, and go to my day job.
And I dream! I dream of doing only one job. I dream of the new normal. That dream and hope keeps me plodding; that, and seeing the results of this calling as I serve in active ministry. I am learning about God through this plodding, leaning heavily on Him every day, and understanding that this plodding has a purpose.
Building relationships take patience and time. Creating change in the church takes time. Raising support takes time. This waiting and plodding is building up the kind of endurance that I’ll need in the next phase of this journey.
Will you pray with me?