learning basic theology, all over again

As Christians, Brooke and I profess belief in a deity who is transcendent (def. “existing outside the material universe and so not limited by it”) and sovereignly in control of everything. We also believe this deity is ultimately personal, so much so that his very nature constitutes what it means to be a person (i.e. humans are persons because we reflect the personhood of this deity who created us). We believe that this deity, whom we call God or Father, cares deeply for his people and works intimately to bring about their greatest good in all circumstances.

These are things we believe and acknowledge on a regular basis. However, it is much easier to say that God is in control of everything and has our best in mind when our daily experience doesn’t demand that we actually trust in this belief.

At the end of June we moved out of our apartment and sold or gave away most of our worldly possessions. Over the last two months we have lived in a different place almost every week. While these various changes have been tiring, they have also proven to us that our Father is able to provide us with shelter and all that we need.

When we moved out in June we didn’t have a penny of the money we would need to embark on our New Zealand adventure and we didn’t have any guarantee that any of that money would materialize. As we enter into our final week of preparations we can report that all of our support has come in. Our Father has been faithful in taking care of our needs.

Brooke and I have both had situations in our lives where we have had to be content to trust God and wait for his provision, but none of them have been quite like this. Our reliance on him for our daily existence has been highlighted for us through the events of this summer.

We have more learning ahead of us. We enter this new chapter of life with no guarantees. It is quite possible that our three months in NZ will reveal to everyone involved that Brooke and I are not a good fit for service there. If that’s the case we will return to St. Louis with no clue what comes next and no source of income. On the other hand, if the next three months demonstrate to us and others that we are being called to NZ, we will then return to St. Louis with no idea where the funding for long-term ministry in NZ will come from.

There are many people with situations much more painful and difficult than ours. The thing that’s difficult about our situation is that we are living in a way that is diametrically opposed to the cultural values pressed on us since we were children. The reality is that the future we are pursuing is one huge question mark with no earthly security. This must look like foolishness to many people. Our only assurance in this adventure is that a God we have never seen is working for our greatest good (whatever that means) and that He will be with us wherever we go.

Despite my questions and hesitations I can live with this one assurance. I can live with it because even though I’ve never seen this God I serve I have seen him make good on his promises.