I will never forget the day that I received one of the more disturbing phone calls in my life. On the other end of the line was my younger brother who disclosed that he had just discovered that his wife had been unfaithful. The pain was palpable. Over the next year or so, I watched my little brother descend into a terrible cycle of grief, anger, and depression. This ultimately rendered him a divorced man. It was hard to watch, but somehow I knew that it would not break him.
Fast forward a few years to today. Again, I shared a phone call with him. However, the circumstances around this phone call were dramatically different. Today marks the beginning of his journey to India, with his wife, to help run an orphanage in Hyderbad with Back2Back ministries. I cannot help but feel a sense of pride for my younger brother. He is someone who has endured some real emotional pain. He is also someone who has relied on the grace of God to get him through that pain and transform him in the process.
I look forward to hearing about his next phase in life. Indeed, the mission field has changed since the days of William Carey. There is Twitter, Facebook,Skype, and Instagram, not to mention the internet. All of this translates into quicker and easier communication. Honestly, this will make the time that Mike is in India a little more bearable for myself and my family. However, some things do not change. God still calls his people to bear his witness to the ends of the earth. He still calls people to make that very uncomfortable break, to say goodbye to everything that is familiar and take up the burden of the cross.
Over the past few years, Mike has demonstrated a lot of maturity, particularly spiritual maturity. He has become aware of the calling placed upon his life. Most importantly, he has not failed to consider his wife, Courtney, in this whole process. Both are convinced that India is where they need to go for the next year or so. To that, I say "Amen."
My prayer is that Mike and Courtney continue to seek the Lord's favor for their lives. Discerning the Lord's favor is an interesting and potentially complicated thing. It involves constantly making decisions, and (re)evaluating decisions in light of developments in our lives and further revelation. In other words, our plans may be good and well intended, but if they are not God's plans, they do not matter much. At the end of the journey we may look back and say, "I never would have taken that route." Mike's journey, as I interpret it, manifests this principle, perhaps more than most. His intentions and plans for his life have always been good and well-intended, but he would not be the person he is today without some tough moments.
Fast forward a few years to today. Again, I shared a phone call with him. However, the circumstances around this phone call were dramatically different. Today marks the beginning of his journey to India, with his wife, to help run an orphanage in Hyderbad with Back2Back ministries. I cannot help but feel a sense of pride for my younger brother. He is someone who has endured some real emotional pain. He is also someone who has relied on the grace of God to get him through that pain and transform him in the process.I look forward to hearing about his next phase in life. Indeed, the mission field has changed since the days of William Carey. There is Twitter, Facebook,Skype, and Instagram, not to mention the internet. All of this translates into quicker and easier communication. Honestly, this will make the time that Mike is in India a little more bearable for myself and my family. However, some things do not change. God still calls his people to bear his witness to the ends of the earth. He still calls people to make that very uncomfortable break, to say goodbye to everything that is familiar and take up the burden of the cross.
Over the past few years, Mike has demonstrated a lot of maturity, particularly spiritual maturity. He has become aware of the calling placed upon his life. Most importantly, he has not failed to consider his wife, Courtney, in this whole process. Both are convinced that India is where they need to go for the next year or so. To that, I say "Amen."
My prayer is that Mike and Courtney continue to seek the Lord's favor for their lives. Discerning the Lord's favor is an interesting and potentially complicated thing. It involves constantly making decisions, and (re)evaluating decisions in light of developments in our lives and further revelation. In other words, our plans may be good and well intended, but if they are not God's plans, they do not matter much. At the end of the journey we may look back and say, "I never would have taken that route." Mike's journey, as I interpret it, manifests this principle, perhaps more than most. His intentions and plans for his life have always been good and well-intended, but he would not be the person he is today without some tough moments.
