Reservations

Yesterday I received my itinerary, which included our flight reservations.

Reservations.  Yeah, I’ve had a few.

There were quite a few reasons to NOT make this trip.  I own a business, of which I am a pretty darned integral part.  My absence from that business will be a burden on my employees and most importantly, my wife.  I have some health issues and given the likelihood of a strange diet on the trip and the stresses of the mission, there is a fair chance that I could become ill in a foreign land.  There are financial concerns about raising the funds, not only for the trip, but also for sundry items like vaccinations, a visa, etc.  There are arrangements to be made for someone to take over my duties at the church.  I could go on and on.

In the course of an email to a friend I had expressed a lot of these reservations and told her I was mulling all these things over before I officially sign up for the trip.  She sent me one of the best emails I’ve ever received.  Simple.  Blunt.  To the point.  True.

This is what she wrote:

“In my quiet time this morning I read Matthew 14; it contains the famous picture of Jesus walking on water. But what I love more about this section is the picture of Peter walking on water. Out of complete impulsivity (I don't know if that's a word or not!), he steps out simply because he trusts Jesus. When the waves and wind start kicking up around him, he remembers how absurd and dangerous it is for him to be walking on water. His faith lags and he begins to sink. But of course, Jesus doesn't let him sink. He pulls him out of the water and helps him get back into the boat.

So...go to India :) If God has laid this particular mission on your heart--then He wants you to go. Abandon logic and practicalities for once and trust Jesus to take care of it all.”

I read this email.  It has been my experience that every once in a while, God has to give me a “dope slap” in order for me to catch on.  Sometimes I am simply not the sharpest knife in the drawer.  This was one of those times.  I said a quick prayer and then I immediately went to the e3 website and signed up for the trip.  The commitment was made.  I stepped out of the boat and into the water.

There are a lot of reasons to not make this trip.  Some are listed at the beginning of this post and if I want to dwell on it, I could think of many, many more.  But as the old saying goes, quantity is not quality.  The quantity of reasons to NOT go is heavily outweighed by the quality of the reason to go: God's reason. 

The lesson and reminder to trust Him is just the first of many that I know I will experience during the preparation and execution of this mission.

To find out more about e3 Partners Ministry, give financially to this mission, or get information on expeditions you can participate in yourself, click here.