It's Official

We don't know what we are doing! Big suprise?? :)

Actually, we do know a small part... Today we left our kids at church and skipped Sunday school and went to Dunkin Donuts with Brian and Kristina and talked logistics. They are leaving tomorrow for two weeks of vacation. During that time we will be moving into their home for (most likely) a couple of months. The guys are pretty excited about the idea... us girls are going into it with a little more fear and trepidation.

This morning at church was the second part of the Fork in the Road message. It was really good. He talked about Abram (which totally makes sense but for some reason I was surprised) from Genesis 11:31-12:9. Abram was living a pretty comfortable life and God asked him to leave and he left. He never settled anywhere. There was no proof that he was going to be OK except God's promise in Genesis 12:1-3. Why would he do this?? Hebrews 11:8-16 gives us some insight... he was looking forward to a city with a foundation whose designer and builder is God. Abraham never saw any of the promises fulfilled that God had made. Hebrews 11:13 said that he died in faith.

Toby called Abraham a "City Watcher" and gave us a City Watcher's Creed:
1. "This world is not enough."
2. "God will keep His promises." When I trust God He is going to give me something so much better, something I could never get if I tried doing it on my own. I am working through Becoming a Woman of Faith by Cynthia Heald and this morning there were two quotes that I came across as I was reading that really impacted me. "Anytime we exercise our faith, no matter what our circumstances, God Himself becomes our reward." and then a quote from Oswald Chambers, "Assurance of faith is never gained by reserve, but only by abandonment."
3. "I can wait for God's timing." If you have known us or been following our blog long you know that this is a tough one for me. Toby gave an illustration of telling his son to wait and showed of picture of his little boy with a look that said, "but Daddy... I thought you loved me." I struggle so often with waiting. God rarely has our time frame. He so often tells us... "wait." God knows what is best for us and when it is the best time to give us what we want/need.
4. "It will be worth it." What is coming is so much better than what I am giving up.

I can testify to this - it will be worth it. I know I think often... in 10 years, 20 years, 30 years I will be able to look back and see what God was doing. I can do that today. 5 years ago we were preparing to move to Houghton for Glenn to finish his Bachelor's degree. I didn't want to go to Houghton. We could not provide for ourselves in Houghton. We could not do it on our own in Houghton. We would have to trust God and that is what He wanted us to do so we did. We had 2 kids and a 3rd on the way and we moved out in faith and God blessed, He provided - housing, food, friends, a church family, our every need and lots of added wants. He blessed far beyond our expectations, rarely providing in ways that I would have thought of, but He met our every need.

The same God who did that is leading us again. Where or how I don't know at this point but I am willing to follow His lead where ever He takes us. Thinking about this message today on the way home God really convicted me of where I was placing my security for our future. I wanted to get into U of R for so many reasons and so many of them were selfish reasons. I was wanting to take care of myself. That is not what God wants. He knows what is best for us. It is not in finding our security here on earth but in keeping our focus on Him and knowing that our future in secure in His hands.

Abraham's legacy in the short term wasn't all that thrilling - 2 sons and enough land to be buried in, nothing compared to Cain's great civilization. Ultimately though Abraham's legacy, because of the choices he made to trust God and His promises, is Jesus Christ. God promised that all the nations of the world would be blessed through him (Abraham). Jesus is that blessing. I have salvation and the promise of a future in heaven because Abram chose to trust God and step out in faith.

What will my legacy be? God doesn't ask everyone to leave and wander the earth and trust Him like He did for Cain and Abram but I really believe that that is what He has called Glenn and Sonja Maas to do. Is that comfortable? No. Will it be hard? Yes. Will it be worth it? Yes! Does it mean that we will never live anywhere for more than 2 years? Maybe. :) I want to leave behind a legacy of faith. I want my kids to know that God will take care of them and that it is worth the sacrifices to trust Him because He loves us and knows best. We will always be weird - aliens, strangers, exiles, because our true home is heaven.

I'm scared to be homeless but God has provided a temporary place for us to live and He will take care of us. One thing I think that God is really working on me right now is humbling me. I have never actually done it on my own but I have always felt like I have and now, having no place to call the Maas home is really difficult for me. (Brian said we should call their home the Lishamaas'). I am excited about what God is going to teach all of us through this time though I am really nervous about the actuality of the whole thing.

One last quote from my book, "My greatest moments of doubt come when I question God's ways.... God challenges me to keep going into a land flowing with milk and honey, but... in my "little" faith I doubt the goodness and faithfulness of the Lord. I believe that He is always with me, but when the winds begin to whip up the waves, I cry out for the Lord to wake up.... I need not doubt His word, no matter what the circumstances.... This is faith - trusting God with my past, present, and future even though, logically, I should trust no one but myself. But if I do rely on my own insight, I will spend my life risking nothing, depending only on what I can see and touch. I will be my own rescuer. I will listen to my doubts, debate God's ways, and cling to my own understanding- and suffer the consequences of these choices by dwelling in the wilderness, living in fear, and going under in the storm." That last part is not how I want to live. I want to live by faith, Lord help me to trust You! You will keep Your promises, I can wait for Your timing, it will be worth it.