in His strength

When I woke this morning, my mind was processing through the "to-do" list of the day.  Then I attempted to translate my list into French in my mind.  Should I switch my memory work from a poem by Victor Hugo to a passage of scripture?  My brother in law leaves for a mission trip to Costa Rica today.  Aaron's uncle is on a missions trip in the Philippines right now.  Lord, use us today.  Guide us each moment.  Paralysis sets in- the list of things to be done is too long.  I cannot complete most of them.  Are we wasting our French teacher's time?  Will our out-of-country health insurance be issued today?  I forgot to send forks and knives in the totes to Africa. 

It's 6:30 am and I'm hitting snooze for the third time.

Aaron asks what I'm thinking about and I laugh.  He introduced a great plan...  Let's begin thanking God for each thing throughout the day.  I'm so thankful that the night air cooled off. 

Our time in Georgia has been THE perfect preparation for us.  The climate, critters and moisture are similar to Burkina- and we needed this time of acclimation.  Sleeping without bedcovers, a skink in the living room.  A rat on the back porch.  Snakes fighting us for the harvest of eggs from our beautiful hens.  Sweating while sitting still.  The constancy of the drone of a fan while trying to conjugate yet another new verb tense. 

In daring to consider leaving our home in Montana, we had no idea what we were saying Yes to.  Becoming available and willing to leave the comfort zone is invigorating.  It draws us so close to the Lord.  It brings us to our knees- without any padding to comfort our joints.  I whine about the very discomfort I seek.  The strength of my knees, mind and verbal abilities is very small.  I cannot endure much time on my knees without feeling the aches when I stand back up.  the creaking that reminds me that I am not 24 years old is good for me- It keeps me asking the Lord for His strength and His abilities- not my own.

In looking at each day, whether it is full of blending sweet potatoes for new eaters, driving into town to pay a bill, visit someone who is in need or going to work in a place that is difficult and thankless, we can do none of it in our own strength. 
It has taken so long for me to realize this- and I've been largely unaware because I wasn't sticking my neck out very far.  Now I feel as though I am sticking my neck out- as well as placing my children's necks 'out there' alongside my own- and they are children.  If I had a dollar for every person who asked my teenaged children how unhappy they are about being drug to Africa, we could put a new well in the village. 

We all begin our day with hopes of completing the to-do list and maybe even getting some "extra" items accomplished that we weren't brave enough to put on the list!  And then the phone rings, the washer leaks and the neighbors need a jump-start.  The day is half-spent, and we feel failure.  We try, we work, we sweat and we drive.  Toward accomplishment, success, achievement- and even while we seek to do all for the Glory of God, we become a taskmaster and begin to believe that WE are doing it...

Near or far, I don't think it is us who accomplish much.  The Lord has equipped each of us uniquely and we can do all things through Him who gives us strength.  We say it in the tough times,  but I forget daily and begin to operate in our my strength, making much out of little and little out of much.

Living without Air Conditioning is hot.  Hot isn't comfortable.  But last week we had a friend over who grew up in an un-air conditioned place in a hot climate, and she wore a polar fleece throughout dinner.  In Georgia.  In July.  She adapted.  And that gives us great hope!