When In Doubt

Doubt. Hesitation. Disbelief. It's part of our nature as humans to experience these feelings about one thing or another at some point in our lives. For me, the thing that comes to mind is God's plan. How often did I lay in my bed at night and wonder what God was doing when I lost my dad? How many times did I wonder how someone so merciful and loving would take my dad away from me? Since then, I've learned that I don't necessarily need to know a specific answer to that question. I've learned that the key to "understanding" God's plan lies in faith. Last night, the message at Crossroads was about doubt and is 100% related to what I am trying to do with the 5k so I thought I'd share it here.

In Luke 7, John the Baptist, who was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, suffers from the very same doubt that we often face. He even sent his disciples to ask Jesus if He was "the one who was to come" after he had seen miracles being performed, miracles that were signs of the Messiah. His doubt arose from unmet expectations. John's message was all about repentance and righteousness. When Jesus came, His message was full of grace and mercy. He spent his time with people that were looked upon as "sinners."Because Jesus did not act how John thought he should act, he began to doubt what he had been preaching (namely, repentance). However, God's plan for His Son was for Him to first come as a Lamb and then as a Lion - that is, He was to first come with mercy and grace and then with righteousness. It's all about His timing. Patience is a virtue, right? (how many times have I heard that before...)

So here's how that ties into the 5k: I never understood God's plan for taking my dad so soon. It's much easier to say "God works all things out for good" than to believe it in the face of tragedy. Slowly, however, I did come to trust that that was true. And slowly God is revealing to me what that "good" is. My dad left a huge legacy that has impacted more people than I could ever imagine. Heck, we've even gotten emails from Iraqi translators telling us stories about my dad's influence in their lives. And now, through his legacy, more people's lives are going to be changed. Every dollar that is raised in his honor will go to giving someone a better life. My dad served his purpose here on earth and now he's with his Maker who is saying "well done my good and faithful servant."

As for the 5k, the registration obviously still isn't available, BUT that is because there's been a slight change in plans! I talked to one of the men I went to Uganda with. He works with a non-profit organization that provides water filters with antimalarial medication to those in need. He has been awesome and more than willing to help set up things for the 5k. So the money raised will now go to that organization which aids in the PREVENTION of malaria and other diseases caused by unclean water. This allows for the 5k to become more of a long-term project which is awesome! (one water filter can provide 6-10 people clean water for up to 10 years) Clean water isn't something we often worry about in the states, but it's a huge problem in other parts of the world. I posted some pictures from our trip to Uganda (thanks, Doug!) to give you a picture of the seriousness of this problem. More details to come as soon as I get them!