an email from my dad.

Asa, as I was thinking of you this morning, this picture came to mind.

There once was a young man....

who lived in a nice town on the edge of the frontier. It was a nice place, there were the normal people problems, there were a few Indian attacks, but it was mostly a safe and peaceful place to live. However, the young man felt a stirring in his heart as he looked off to the west, the distant land seemed to call to him. He knew he was made for more than to just settle into a comfortable life and raise a comfortable family in the little town.

When the day came, he packed the necessary supplies and set off to explore the untamed wilderness. He was looking for a place to call his own, a place to raise a family, a place to grow a few crops, a place to build and grow into a thriving community of peace and beauty. He wanted apple orchards and wheat fields and and schools where the kids could learn as they explored the great outdoors, he wanted a good church where they could learn to live in the joy of communion with their creator.

As he went, he would stop here and there to test the ground, grow a few things, to see if there were sufficient resources, to learn the climate, see what enemies were, to see if the wild natives were approachable, if there were a real possibility of building a community.

He found some places that looked promising, but soon learned that they were to dry or too harsh, or the soil was not fertile enough. So he moved on. Then one day he came to a valley, at first it didn't seem to be the place of beauty he had pictured in his mind, but as he began to work the ground and plant a few seeds, a vision began to form in his mind. If he would dig a well there, and plant an orchard there, and get some grass growing, it could be a place of great beauty. It would take years of work, but it could be done. The locals were fierce, but he was able to developed a few friendships and found they were very loyal. His heart became attached, and he knew he had found his place.

However, as he began to settle in to work, he soon realized he needed to learn a few things, the farming methods that worked back in his home town did not work in this climate. He knew the soil would grow great crops, but what crops? The enemies were different here, too, and he needed to learn new strategies of defense. So he set about to learn all he needed to know to do what his heart told him was his mission. It would take years, there was much to learn, he would need help, there would need to be partners who shared his vision, but in the end, a great community could be built.

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Asa, this may seem like a silly little story, I don't know if I should even send it, but I think I probably will and if you think it's stupid just pitch it.

Here is what I see for you:

1. There is a growing up phase, getting grounded in some solid things - you have done that.

2. There is an exploration phase, travelling around to see what your heart is drawn to. Many times there is some trial and error, some things that don't fit before finding what does fit. This is the phase of discovering your heart, how the Lord has made you to tick. Seeing what gives you life and joy, where your passions are. In this phase it is almost as important to weed out those things that are not your passion as it is to find what it is you want to do. The hard part is to be patient and not to lose heart.

Isaah 30:18 Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you;
And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
Blessed are all those who wait for Him.
19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;
You shall weep no more.
He will be very gracious to you at the sound of your cry;
When He hears it, He will answer you.
20 And though the Lord gives you
The bread of adversity and the water of affliction,
Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,
But your eyes shall see your teachers.
21 Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
“This is the way, walk in it,”
Whenever you turn to the right hand
Or whenever you turn to the left.

3. There is a training phase. Once you know what you are created to do (and sometimes before you know) you realize there are things you need to know to make it happen. Any good farmer must learn how to farm. Any warrior must learn what weapons he has, how to use his weapons, strategies against the enemy, what his enemies strategies are. Any builder must learn how best to use his materials, what tools to use, how to work smarter, not harder. I have seen farmers who thought if they were losing money in farming they just needed to work more hours. However, they then lost money 16 hours a day instead of 12 hours a day. They needed to learn management, not just work harder. Many times the battle goes to the skilled warriorr, not just the determined warrior.
So ask yourself, what really gives you joy in life? What does your heart tell you (through the Holy Spirit and meditation on the Word) that you were made to do? As a new creation in Christ, we have His Spirit in us, we have to learn to hear Him talking to us, we have to trust that He has given us a new heart, and that He will guide us. Then, what skills do you need to do it really well? It is well worth the time to sharpen the axe before setting out to chop down a forest.

4. In this phase it is also important to learn your enemies, and learn how to do battle and win. One of the causes for many giving up is discouragement. The enemy in our own flesh can at times seem to be a never-ending battle, how can we ever be used to build the Kingdom of God if we can't even get our own flesh under control? We have to learn the power of the grace of God, to forgive us, to cleanse us, to put us back into His service. We need to learn that no matter how many times we fail, we get back up, we never give up, we never give in. We may not get total victory over the flesh in this life (we won't) but we can learn to walk in the grace of God and look forward to total victory in the next life.
We also can get discouraged about the enemy in others. You also begin to see the power of the fall in all of humanity, the battle for restoration to goodness. You see it in the kids, the anger, the selfishness, the desire to inflict pain on others. See it for what it is; the ugliness of the Fall from Eden, the real need of redemption. People made to be good but trapped in the snare of fallenness & selfishness. It is a tough and constant battle, to win over our flesh, to bring ourself others to the nature of Christ. That is why you have to learn to be skilled in the weapons of the Word and prayer and really understand the power of grace and forgiveness.

5. And then there is the lifetime of work phase. Anything that is worth doing is worth hanging in there for. Faithfulness over the years is ususally what it takes to do anything of significance. All the great heroes of the faith hung in there for years, just plugging away day after day at the things God had given them to do. The prophet Jeremiah preached for over 30 years, no one ever listened, he had only one convert, but he hung in there and was approved of God for fulfilling his life mission.

Don't be impatient to get on to the next phase, learn well the lessons the Lord has for you in each phase, you will need them if you are to succeed in the next phase. Learn to rest in Him in whatever state you are in.
But here is the real key - the most important thing you learn is not how to work for the Lord, but how to walk with the Lord, how to enjoy the relationship He designed you for. He did not primarily create you for work, but for relationship. So first of all, while you are discovering, get to know Him. Look around and see where He is working and what He is doing and join with Him in His work. In doing so, you will see His great heart and learn of His ways. You really get to know someone by working beside them, hearing them talk, seeing how they do things.

Well, I've preached enough for one day. I didn't get to preach a sermon yesterday, so I guess you get to be the one to hear it today. I offer these as thoughts from my heart to you, take what seems to bear witness to your spirit, and pitch the rest.

Love,
Dad