I am not much of a planner, especially when it comes to the long-term… and by long-term, I mean the week after next. So the thought of deciding what I’ll be doing with my life next June and July is a bit daunting. But three weeks ago, I was challenged to decide what I would do with my life this upcoming summer.
Amid a week long Nav-staff training conference, I met with a staff member named Caleb who helps organize the international missions trips for the collegiate branch of the Navigators. I’ve always been interested in doing work overseas, and I had one place particularly in mind: New Zealand. As Caleb led me through the trips planned for next summer that still needed staff members to lead them, however, New Zealand was not on the list. That trip had been recently filled by staff from another campus. But Caleb offered to give me some info on a few other trips that were available for me to lead – one to the Philippines, one to Liberia, one to Lebanon, and one to Russia.
I, admittedly, was pretty sorely disappointed in the loss of the New Zealand opportunity, and really had no immediate interest in any of these other trips. So I told Caleb, like I figured a “good Christian” should, that I would take a couple weeks to think and pray over the trips and eventually make up my mind whether or not I’d go anywhere. However, just a few hours after my conversation with Caleb, in the middle of time of teaching on God’s heart for the nations, the Holy Spirit relieved me of the need to make up my mind – He made it up for me with these three words: “Go to Russia.”
If I have found two things to be true of God, these are them: 1) that He often doesn’t require as much time to give answers as I figure He will. After all, He already knows what He has planned for us (Ephesians 2:10); and 2) that He often takes me where I am not planning on going (Proverbs 16:9). In fact, it seems that, as long as I am willing to listen, the Holy Spirit will usually prompt me relatively quickly with the answers I need. Usually, the problem is that I am either not listening or not willing to humble myself and accept the answer He gives.
My big lesson in this whole thing comes from the last chapter of the book of John (which has recently become one of my absolute favorite chapters in the Scriptures). Here, in John 21:18, Jesus tells His apostle Peter this: “I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
As we grow as followers of Christ, I believe, as Jesus told Peter, that God will call us to things we had never thought He would call us to – possibly even things we would, apart from His calling, never desire to do. Maturity and growth come with being willing to follow His callings, no matter what they are.
I was reflecting on this passage the other day, and I wrote this prayer in my journal: “Lord, You told Peter that, as he grew older (and I think You meant in spirit more than in age), You would lead him to places that he wouldn’t want to go – that You would take him down paths he wouldn’t have gone down if not for Your purposes. I feel that I am coming to the point where You are challenging me in a similar way. It’s difficult to wrestle with, but it seems like You’ve been leading me through these last eight months without ever really telling me where we’re headed. And I know that, included in Your call to Peter, there was a warning that he would have to give up things – plans, dreams, desires, comforts, relationships, friends, etc. – in order to follow You. To be honest, it’s pretty scary, God, and the idea of the things I might have to give up sucks. But I ask that You’d continually supply me with peace as You teach me to love You in this discipline (Philippians 4:6-7; Hebrews 12:11), so that I can follow You more wholeheartedly. Help me to set my eyes on You leading me rather than looking back on what You call me to leave.”
So I am leading a team to Russia next summer to evangelize and teach English to college students there! I’m very excited, and also If you would, pray along with me that God would provide me with both a full team to lead (8-12 people) and full funding (about $5000). Thanks to all of you who are joining with me in this, and be sure to look out for updates on the work God does through and around us next summer!
(Also, if you don’t get the reference in the title of this post, you need to get schooled on classic James Bond movies)
nick at navs 
Nick! This is SO very exciting!! How fun you know!! Will you be working at all with the people who just decided to be long term there that they talked about the national conference??
On Tue, Dec 17, 2013 at 4:12 PM, nick at navs
No, I think the couple you’re referring to (the Redmans) are in St. Petersburg. We’ll be in a more southern city and won’t get to see them, unfortunately, because they’re super cool.