You can never tell what a day will bring no matter where you call home … but this seems to be doubly true when your home is a small island In Indonesia, at least that has been my experience. Some days are a welcome respite, like the rainy, almost cool day we had earlier this week. Other days bring challenges that I would rather have skipped.
Recently I had one of those days that I would have been happy to forgo.
While I was out visiting a friend our house was broken into. I came home to a damaged window, drawers that had been rummaged through, a missing laptop computer, and the results of the sickness the dog suffered (all over the floor) as a result of the poison the intruders gave her.
Break-ins are one of the common trials of missionary life, so they were something I was prepared for in the abstract, but the reality was a different matter. I stood there scared, feeling sick, utterly and emotionally hijacked.
By evening, the mess had been cleaned up, the police report given, and the window temporarily secured––all thanks to the help and support of great friends. As I lay sleeplessly in bed the thoughts came to me: We are here to serve these people, yet they violate our home. Why? Why wasn’t our house protected, LORD? Where were You?
Then came the thought, or was it a still, small voice…
What will you choose to believe about Me?
And really, isn’t that what our lives hinge on, what we choose to believe about our God, especially on those hard days or months or years that we would opt out of given the choice?
I lay in bed, I breathed, and I tried to let the truth of who God is wash over me. He is the God who never changes, never fails, is always in control, who, dare I say it, cares more about developing my character than making life easy because he loves me that much. He is the God who stays by me, stable in the midst of the storms that will always come.
But I have to choose to believe those things … I’m learning more about that through each up and down of life in Indonesia. The choice is mine, it’s everyone’s. Today I strive to choose peace, calm, and trust … and I hope the same for you.
