I hate to fly. I especially hate to take off and land. It’s really a faith issue. I have trouble believing that a huge piece of metal can get into and stay up in the air. I guess I just think that if God wanted us to fly, He would have given us wings. However, the view from the plane just before we get lost in the clouds helps me to forget my hatred of flying. For just an instant, the world looks so perfect. The land has definite boundaries, the buildings look unspoiled, and the strife is hidden. For all appearances, all is right in the world. A part of me longs to live in that instant. Where everything has order and peace reigns. But of course, I don’t have that choice, the destination will be reached, the plane will land and the illusion comes to an end. The real world will come crashing back in.
I was pondering these things on the flight from the US to Serbia. Our life has been a bit chaotic lately with the return of two of our foster children for a total of seven children and all the scheduling and organization it takes to prepare our large family for two mission trips. Though I left the chaos of our life behind when I stepped onto the plane, I knew that even a well organized mission trip can be chaotic. Schedules are usually more fluid than static and there are more needs to meet than there are resources to meet them. It can be an exhausting and emotionally draining. And, yet given the choice, I would not choose to stay in the perfect moment. You see, there is nothing to learn there, there is nothing to grow from, there are no life changing moments there. And so I disembarked and by doing so I accepted the plan God had for this trip and my part in it. I accepted that He will use not only those quiet moments but also the chaotic, wait and see what will happen moments. And so much has happened!
In the five days since we landed in Belgrade, God has done some amazing things! He has opened so many doors! From meetings with City government to holding Bible school in a public school, we have been amazed at His grace and provision! We have been able to shine the light on the work the Roma church is doing and thus on the grace and love of Jesus. There is a lot of last minute adjusting. So many variables. A million little things that don’t go according to plan. Little details that get forgotten. People who don’t cooperate. Then it happens. Right in the middle of the chaos, God shows up. Without any warning the service that started late in the overheated building is suddenly a place where the presence of the Holy Spirit is unmistakable. The meeting with city officials to share some information becomes an opportunity for a partnership and opens doors for sharing the gospel. The gift of used medical equipment opens up the possibility of a larger space for the ministry of the Roma church and reveals needs that, when met could save lives. Isn’t it just like God to use chaos and everyday occurrences to start a chain of events that have the potential to change lives?
Remember the Jewish people who were convinced an earthly King would come and, in some spectacular way, save them from their chaos? Instead God sent a baby to a common girl, and the people did not recognize the Savior of the world because he was born amidst the chaos of a census in a common stable.
While I long for the illusion of perfect I see from the airplane, God quietly uses the imperfect moments of my everyday life (chaos and all) to make an impact in the world around me. What is God doing in the midst of your chaos? Remember, God has a habit of using common people in everyday chaotic situations to do uncommon things. Be expecting it! As for me, I think I will shut the shade on the plane ride back. I prefer His reality to an illusion any day! Now, if He could just give me a way to avoid the takeoff and landing…
