Like a summer shower, 2015 came and went.
Now back home, mid-way into “settling in”, we are just about making preparations for our next transit out.
Yet, at the same time last year and two years ago, our pace, perspectives and paradigms have taken a drastic shift.
Pace. We used to run at breakneck speed trying to chase the life others were, while simultaneously packing, unpacking, struggling to transit out into a world we could not be sure of, in the mission field.
Perspectives. We used to think our whole lives were one big sacrifice, a painful surrender.
Paradigms. We used to think the needy needed us- that’s why we gave up what we did.
Africa changed all of that.
2015 came and went like a train, tunnelling through luscious sunsets bathed in the sun’s golden shower, through deep indigo nights of quiet tears, through misty sunrises drenched with hope.
Here, on the same last day of the year, one, two years on, our pace, perspectives and paradigms have shifted seismically.
Pace. We now run not to catch our breaths, but to savour the world God has given us- whatever culture, climate or continent we are on. The life we chase, uncircumscribed by the expectations of others, no longer circumscribes us within boundaries.
We learnt- that when we are no longer weighed down by the burden of things, materials, luxuries, then a life of simplicity, like origami, can always be folded into two neat suitcases.
2015 taught us that- when our loads lighten, our pace does, too.
Perspectives. We now understand the concept of sacrifice, that nothing we could ever lay down, give up or surrender, could even come close to what Christ did on the Cross for us. He who became the ultimate sacrifice, counted it not a sacrifice, to give us the life of freedom, joy and hope we have today.
We learnt- that where sacrifice signals subjugation, submission signals surrender; where sacrifice implies unwilling ingratiation, submission implies willing deference; where sacrifice requires a bent of will, submission requires a gentle, pliable yielding.
2015 taught us that- obedience to God’s call brings joyful submission, and can count as no sacrifice.
Paradigm. We now serve the needy not by teaching them or helping them restore their dignity, but by learning from them, and helping them recognize the inherent dignity they already have.
We learnt- that when our world is framed not by the needs of the poor, but by God’s clarion call for our lives, we can never run dry.
2015 taught us that- only intimacy with God, and not the ever-increasing needs of our broken world, can continue to give us purpose and refreshment.
But more than that, 2015 pushed us into deep waters and forced us to trust. It edged us to cliffs and forced us to take leaps of faith. It blindfolded our eyes and forced us to imagine, re-color and birth hope into reality.
Where nights of worry-filled insomnia used to reign, about how we would live where we would go, what we would do, what our homes jobs lives would be like… prayer has dissolved the paranoia, faith has chased out the fear.
2015 taught us that- without prayer, we are constantly striving to compete and complete.
But with prayer, though we work, we possess faith, that in our powerlessness, God would act on our behalf in realms beyond our control, to bring about perfect peace in our hearts.
In 2015, He etched beautiful memories in our hearts, in every African hue; In 2015, He held our hands into beautiful realities, in every continent. In 2015; He burst our ceilings of faith and brought us into a whole new world.
With a different pace, perspective and paradigm, we are looking forward to the next big transition He will bring us to. No longer with fear, anxiety or trepidation, but with faith, trust and anticipation.
In 2016, may His perfect peace rest on you
as you commit your pace, perspectives and paradigms into His hands.
Have a Blessed New Year.