God's Will Is...

     Yesterday I returned from almost two weeks in Lima, Peru with Big World Ventures. (Next year they're going to Guatemala. Right now my plan is to be there, and you should definitely consider sending your teen or coming as a family. It is truly an incredible ministry that changes the lives of teens, and brings a lot of encouragement to the communities in the countries they visit.)

     While in Peru I spoke about the will of God to our group. I've noticed most high school and college students stress about whether or not the choices they're making at this stage are "God's will" for their life. 

     The evening before I gave my talk our group attended a church outside of Lima. I sat in the back of the church (I'm a back row sitter in every culture) with my bilingual friend Dave, asking occasionally for a translation of what they were saying, and reviewing my notes for the talk. In this warehouse in the middle of Villa el Salvador, where rows of plastic red chairs were set up, motorcycles parked behind seats, and cats roamed freely among the congregants, I watched cultures collide and kneel before the God that created them both. It was loud and chaotic and occasionally a wad of toilet paper would be passed down a row to someone who hadn't brought any. (Most bathrooms in Peru don't have toilet paper so people supply it themselves.) Worship lasted almost an hour, sermons and testimonies were given both in Spanish and English, friends were made through short conversations of remembered high-school Spanish, Facebook requests sent, and the whole 3-hour service ended with a clean-up dance party.

During the service I wrote this short reflection on God's will and shared it at the end of my talk.

What is God's Will? 

           God’s will is every act of mercy you show, every chore you do obediently, every kind word you say.

            God’s will is walking away from gossip, sitting in silence with a hurting friend, putting your head on your pillow at night and thanking God for the day.

            God’s will is getting up at 5am to make it to your job on time. It is loving your spouse through good times and bad. It is saying, “I’m hurting and I don’t understand,” and continuing to serve anyway, trusting your Heavenly Father will work even this for your good.

            God’s will is opening orphanages and bringing clean water to impoverished countries. It is handing out bulletins and greeting new faces at the church you’ve attended since you were a small child. It is organizing the church potluck and making sure the best casseroles aren’t all brought out at once, so that everyone gets some and not just those whose spiritual gift is being first in line.

            God’s will is writing a best selling novel. It is being president of a company and leading it with integrity. It is bringing people their food and tipping out when you go home at the end of the day.

            God’s will is celebrating birthdays, anniversaries and graduations. It is mourning the death of a spouse, child, or friend. It is saying, “Lord, I don’t know how I can get through this,” and waking up every day to God’s new mercies. It is realizing that when you weren’t strong enough to hold on to God, He held on to you.

            God’s will is being single and childless. It is taking what the world tells you is a deficiency and watching God turn it into a beautiful story. It is going when called, witnessing miracle after miracle, and living each day knowing Christ is enough.

            God’s will is repentance, humility, and obedience. It is feasting on His word and praying prayers both short and long. It is casting your burdens on Him because sometimes they’re too big for us and our backs get tired. It is reaching the end of the days He’s numbered for you and hearing God say, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Enter in to the joy of your master.”

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