To the Grounded Adventurer

 This summer, I was supposed to go on my first international mission trip.  Early last year, after reading the book The Insanity of God, I asked the Lord to let me experience international missions for myself.  Between moving to another state and joining a new church family, it's not surprising that I didn't see an immediate answer to that prayer.  But around Christmas, one of my pastors put a feeler out to see who would be up for a mission trip to France.  Ummmmmm...me over here!  I prayed about it and talked to my parents.  I paid my deposit, the plane ticket was bought, and I was asked to lead the girls going in a study prior to the trip.  It seemed like the climatic answer to a request prayed months beforehand.

And then, you know what happened: COVID-19. Bye-bye, Paris!

Maybe some of you are like me, and you naturally thrive best on fresh opportunities.  To be stationary and still for months on end creates feelings of claustrophobia. As days turn into weeks turn into months, you continue to face hope deferred and just can't helping thinking"When am I going to see a change?," as you deal with the same ole same ole.  Life looks like an endless plateau with no mountain views on the horizon. That's honestly how I feel as I gaze ahead.

Thank the Lord, we can talk to Him about our disappointments and our doldrums.  I've been doing my fair share of that lately.  And as I continue to fight for joy, I can't help thinking that God is teaching me an invaluable lesson right now.

Soooooooo....

• I'm asking for the grace to be supernaturally content right where He has me.  Nancy Wilson's book Learning Contentment has been an incredible help.  The Apostle Paul specifically stated that he learned to be content in whatever state he was in (Phil. 4:12).  It's possible, people.  As Ruth Chou Simons is fond of saying, "What doesn't come naturally comes by grace." 
• I'm coming up with alternate ways to introduce new opportunities to my current circumstances, such as
• Deciding to figure out the art of baking with sourdough.
• Getting outside, trying trails in our area.
• Starting a summer book club with a few friends.
• I'm counting my blessings...
• I still have a steady job with a great boss.
• I still have a cozy, comfortable apartment with a likable roommate. 
• I still have my family. 
• I still have friends to talk on the phone with and to meet for lunch.  
• I still have a relationship with the One Person who at the end of all days will be the only Person it really matters I was ever in relationship with.

The lesson of endurance is not one I claim to have down.  I'm not even close.  But I believe that endurance differentiates the wimps from the warriors in the journey called the Christian life.  So, the fact that God is giving me (and you) the opportunity to deal with canceled plans, loneliness, and boredom, has the potential to be instrumental in our lives for good.
Lean into this season with me, my fellow grounded adventurers. Our perspective and attitude will make the difference.  Personally, I am aiming for a geo experience (remember those rocks when you were a kid!), hard and ugly on the outside, but unique and beautiful once it has been cracked open.

And don't forget, this too shall pass.