Sunday, September 8, 2013

The Perfect Blending of the Masterpiece of God...

   There's this illustration I've heard a bunch of times in my faith walk about how God is a master painter and we are His paint.  And while we can only see up close the smears of color He is making with our lives on the canvas, if we could just take a step back we would notice that we are just a small section of a giant masterpiece God has been creating before the beginning of time.  Up close we don't see anything but our story and even then at times we miss how each event intercepts with another to bring us to where we are.  But from a distance, where God is standing, everything fits and works together perfectly...for us individually and corporately in the world.
   Tonight I was reminded of this as I  had a chance to share with a few members of my church about my up coming move as a missionary to Ecuador.  I can't tell you how thankful I am to have this opportunity and to know I attend a church where so many people are truly interested in being a part of spreading the gospel to the nations (whether as a missionary or as a sender).  But one of the coolest thing about it all is seeing  the God connections between my story and that of others!
  Tonight as I was talking I got to connect the dots between how God grew me and raised me up in my calling as a missionary to that of the faithful prayers and hard word of other members of my church family when they were at a previous church, that I also attended after they had left!  I know that sounds kind of confusing, but basically God used this family  to  lay the ground work and plant the seeds for the missions ministry at a church that after they left I attended, and through which God placed within me the beginning works of a heart for the nations!  Then to just add icing to the cake he made us both part of the same church family and connect us in working together to send me to the missions field now!  It's crazy how full circle it all feels!
  I bet God does this all the time....connecting His people...intermingling our stories together in HIS story and thus only bringing greater glory to His name!  Praise God for opening my eyes to see it in this moment though!  I am amazed!  God is awesome!  Amen.