Fighting for words:

I have been wrestling with what I might say for all my faithful followers, and financial supporters as evidence of my work on the mission field in the Dominican Republic. I could offer a few lines of Spanish but that would just be showing off and pointless. When I thought about everything I could say it all sounded the same as before; “Well... I don’t feel like much, but I know God has made me much” or “Well.... I haven’t done much, but I know God will continue to work in and through me.” and “So.... I am struggling but I know God is my strength.” It doesn’t make any of what I have said less true or less important. Perhaps it makes it a tired message, rerun, and over used, but then again maybe not. I have been wrestling for a few weeks now on what to say and just when I thought I had something I would think, “Nope! I’ve said that before” or “Now this is just getting to be too forced and has no meaningful substance” Then it hit me; maybe that is the point. A forced message and a repeated message given in truth makes it no less true or less needed. I am reminded of a great quote by G.K.Chesterton in his book “Orthodoxy” when he states;

“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”

While I may be tired and doubting those words of truth that God offers me in his word, He keeps telling me, “read it again, say it again, repeat it even when you don’t ‘feel’ it because soon you will know, and soon my promises will be so engrained in your being that they will speak louder than your doubting and fatigue.” So, He sings over me when I am too tired to sing, His promises are new every morning and His mercy never fails. I am like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in due season and whose leaf does not wither. Say it again, do it again, read it again and again... 

Habakkuk 3:17-19

Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls—

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God[c] is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.