God Things Don't Have to Be Huge

After I agreed to join my friend, Kelly, on a trip to Uganda, I booked a flight to Colorado to spend the weekend with her before we headed out with a team of people from her church. But about a month before I was to go, she told me she would be going to Africa earlier which meant I would be traveling a long way with a group of people I've never met. And I'd have a weekend in Colorado without her or anything to do.

I panicked at first and thought about changing my ticket to meet up with the team at the airport on Monday, but God kept telling me to keep the ticket I had. Friends assured me God had a reason for it. Kelly made arrangements for me and I sucked up the anxiety, trusting God had a plan.

Kelly's brother and sister-in-law picked me up from the airport and housed me. They've been very nice and accommodating. Their niece is going on the trip also and only knows Kelly too, so hanging out with her and her family has been good for us all.

But other than that and spending time with Kelly's family, the weekend has been ho-hum. I was excited to meet a woman who's been praying for me and this trip before I even knew I was going, but she wasn't able to come after all. We went to church hoping to meet the other team members but couldn't locate them. We've just been killing time all weekend and to be honest, I'm very impatient to get the show on the road already! There's been no confirmation of why I needed to come early and be away from the people I love longer. The weekend's been plain odd.

And yet in a way that only God can do, He gives me the first lesson of this trip. This morning He reminded me that though I may not see it, He is still working. I'm all hyped up about this trip, anticipating the amazing ways I will see God, but He's telling me to remember I may NOT see anything remarkable. I think He's telling me not to expect huge God sightings or incredible encounters with people. I am to be there, willing to do whatever needs to be done. God's way of doing things often involves performing the mundane faithfully. Serving in Africa means getting up and going through each day the same way I would at home, tackling whatever comes along.

It doesn't have to be huge to be a God thing and you don't have to go to Africa to see God work. Even there I'll find the ordinary, the uneventful and monotonous. God dwells in the midst of ALL of life. He lives among us in the dull and the everyday. He often works in small, undetectable ways.

So as I fly off tonight, I'm leaving my expectations behind. I'm going with the same attitude I use in my life in Nebraska. I'll do what's before me and know God is there whether I see Him or not.

This is the duty of any Christian, is it not? We are to do the job given us no matter where we're called to be. Forge ahead, friends, in the tasks ahead, knowing God is living among you.

Even if you don't see it.