Twenty years. It's hard to believe.Twenty years ago we pulled into southern Idaho with a trailer full of every belonging we owned, and our 8-week old daughter, ready to begin a new adventure in life.
Twenty years ago we drove into the parking lot of a church, filled with people we didn't know, who fed us, unpacked our U-haul, and set us up for a good nights sleep. It was just the beginning of the many, many ways our church has loved us as their pastors. Even though, way back then, we were just young babies who probably didn't know what they were getting themselves into.
Twenty years. Yes, we are little bit older, a whole lot wiser, and still enjoying where God brought us way back then! Our 8-week old daughter is now twenty and getting married, and our son, who showed up along the way, is soon to begin his senior year in high school. Alyssa and Kyle know no other church and they've known no other pastor, and therefore intimately aware in their own way about ministry, but I would still love to tell them a few things I've learned in our twenty years.
1. There is great joy in following God's calling in your life! When you're doing what you've been made for, and where God leads, there's a peace and joy that cannot compare. We've been here this long because we couldn't imagine being anywhere else or doing anything else.There's great joy in seeing someone come to know the Lord, get married to their best friend, find answers to life's problems through God's Word, or watching lives change. Oh the joy of being used by Him! God's plan is the best, so find out where He wants you, and go there!
2. Following God's calling won't always be easy. In our twenty years, we've seen many hard things too...death, illness, divorce, affairs, conflict, abuse, anger, friends leaving the church, and people walking away from the Lord. Some days, the hours are long, and the investment of time, heart, and energy is big. There's sometimes criticisms, unhappy people, problems to solve, and can be kind of lonely. But when you're doing what God has made you to do, the good things far outweigh the bad, and He always give the strength we need to handle the hard things. Watching God at work, especially in difficult circumstances, is a fun sight to behold. So, when you look for God's calling in your life, don't just go for what looks easy! Be strong and courageous because God will make it all worth it!
Twenty years is just the beginning of what God has planned for our lives. I don't know what the next twenty will look like, but if we continue to follow God's lead, I'm sure He will take us down many more beautiful paths.
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. Psalm 84:10
