Start here: a reflection

A verse that the Lord has put before me numerous times is Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God." and like it Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him." The final few days of our first trip to the Ukraine became a reflection time for me and simultaneously I was reading Too Small to Ignore by Dr. Wess Stafford, a book given to Trent a while back. The book talks about being an advocate for the "least of these" or children. It seems that is a part of our calling and should be for everyone in their own way. It is a very good book about very difficult times for Wess when he was growing up in a boarding school in Africa and how he has used those horrible experiences to head Compassion International for kids today.

For me, the parts of the Psalms that state that we are to "know that He is God" and "wait patiently for him" are not as hard as the initial "Be still". Partly because different trials in my life have helped me to see Him better as he is at work and to learn to wait for His leading. However, being still is extrememly contrary to my nature and perhaps that is why He continues to bring it up. You would have thought when I nearly lost my life last April due to an overdose following surgery, I would have learned to be still. I did learn perspective and gratittude and a healthy respect for life and life after death, but still dug my hills in at being still.

While in the Ukraine, I was able to see the benefits of "being still" and listening or spending down time with the orphans and our own daughter who went with us. It occured to me, that my success in learning to be still and listen to God not only benefits me, but also those around me. How can children learn the art of being still from uptight, goal driven, or intensly scheduled adults? My disclaimer is that I am not stating that any of us is too far gone in this area, but that surely most of us Americans can do better in one way or another. Our time needs to be focused on God and the areas that he directs us rather than on our own agenda or even that of our kids.

Lessons can be learned in any life experience and wisdom gained. Often, those with the least have the most to offer. It was certainly true of our friend, Natasha in the orphanage. Every single craft item that I brought for the kids to use ended up being used to make a craft or gift for one of us. In his book, Dr. Stafford brings up the old saying that you can't outgive God, but then adds to it that you can't outgive the poor. I agree. And yet most of us have been given so much. "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measure to you." Luke 6:38. How much do we give each day, both of our resources and of ourselves?


The people in the Ukraine, and of course the orphans, live for the present time because that's all that is certain for them. I'm a planner by nature and tend to take care of things as far in advance as possible which is beneficial in some respects but also prevents me enjoying the time at hand sometimes. I feel obliged to bring this up because I think it is inherent in our American culture today. Too many of us busy ourselves and miss valuable moments or get stressed or hurried. Corrie Ten Boom once said that if the devil couldn't make us bad, he would make us busy. Ouch, but true.

In Dr. Stafford's book, he states emphatically, that "Time must be our servant, not our master. It cannot be allowed to dictate to us. we must use it wisely and keep it under our control." Looking back at Jesus' life on earth as our example, we see that he didn't scurry around, not even when Lazarus, his friend, had died. He took time for what was eternally important. My question is this...how much time do we spend each day on what is eternally important, on those things that will outlive us? Let's live for today and seek every opportunity, even hourly to make an eternal difference:)