What a Stupid Plan!

Since we have made the decision to go serve abroad for a year, there have been various responses, ranging from -

"That is so awesome....It's going to be great experience....your kids are going to love it..." to

"Why? But your kids are so young...isn't that dangerous?....what about your family, your job and your house?..

Of course, we find great support in the voices of encouragement and find discouragement and even anxiety and doubt creeping inside when the "voices of reason" are spoken. We are learning to praise God for both, simply because they each remind us that the only voice that truly encourages and convicts is the one spoken by our Heavenly Father. Our greatest attempt of planning is foolishness compared to His ways. So His wisdom and peace is our plan for our future.

The Word is clear about our wisdom compared to His. In 1 Corinthians 1:21,24-25 Pauls reminds us that His ways usually (almost always) do not make sense.

"God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. Since God in His wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe."

"But to those called by God to salvation, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God's weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength."

God's ways and wisdom turns "the world's view" upside down. I have come to believe that if it makes sense to the world, it probably isn't God's way. The world says, "Do something and be somebody!" God says "You are already somebody to Me, so now do something." The world says, "take all you can get, and you will get more!" God says, "give all you have, and you will receive" and Jesus simply says "lose your life, and then you'll find it." The world says "hate your enemies" and "take care of yourself first" and God says, "love those who hate you, lay down your life for others, and be a servant of all."

And finally, we praise God for his ultimate act of foolishness - the Cross. His Son crucified on it for us. This is so stupid and beyond comprehension. But yet so sweet and amazing.

Quitting your job, pulling your eight-year old daughter from school, and moving with three young children from a comfortable home in Orange County to serve in the Philippines may sound a bit foolish. But then I look at the Cross, and I am simply amazed by His ways. And what is also amazing is that He uses fools like me and my family for His glory.

I share with you a few quotes in my prayer journal -

"You are saved - seek to be like your Savior." - Charles Spurgeon

"No sacrifice can be too great to make for Him who gave His life for me." - C.T. Studd

"We who have Christ's eternal life need to throw away our own lives." - George Verwer

"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible" - Thomas Aquinas

"He is no fool who gives what He cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

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Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for your perfect plan. Thank You for Your perfect wisdom. Thank You for Your Spirit, who illuminates Your word to us, and helps us to understand Your view and to follow Your plan -- instead of our only seeing the world's view and following its plan. Despite falling short of Your purposes, you still love us and seek to use us for your glory. We love you for that. Amen.