Some people are natural planners. We like to define the objective, create a plan, divide the project into tasks, and enjoy the wonderful results. It should work like math, logical, and predictable. Plan well, implement the strategy, and the product will equal the objective. Simple enough, right?
My plan for 2020 included several mission activities and trips, including two outside the United States. A conference titled “Rejoice in Hope” was on the books for late March and ready to go. The theme was based on a passage from the book of Romans:
“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
Excitement grew as the team looked forward to sharing the hope that only Jesus can give with our sisters in Central America (Guatemala) in March, then West Africa (Ghana) in August. The conference team was diverse, spanning from age from 19 to 61. Members included a nurse, an elementary school teacher, a college student, and a banker. We combined our perspectives and witnessed God’s work in our lives as He guided us and strengthened the sweet bond between team members.
In planning the “Rejoice in Hope” conference, we recognized the difficulties of life. Regardless of where or how you live, life can be hard. Everyone benefits from a bit of encouragement. We tackled the tough questions of how a person can genuinely rejoice through suffering. We were eager to share insights on the process outlined in our focal passage: suffering produces endurance, endurance character, character hope. Oh, the beautiful result of hope. Team members researched assignments for the conference, prepared speaking notes and object lessons, and prayed for God’s perfect will. The heart of the matter for the team was the conviction that true joy and complete hope is found only in Jesus.
Many hours of prayer, planning, research, and work produced an excellent conference, ready to be enjoyed by both the team and guests. Then something unplanned happened, unexpected, and out of our control. A pandemic named COVID-19 attacked our world. Nations closed their borders to travelers and airports canceled flights, governments issued “stay at home” orders, and effectively shut down the entire world economy.
As the early days of the pandemic morphed into a full-blown catastrophe, we witnessed the cancellation of not only our mission trip(s) but everything else familiar to our daily activities. The hours of research for the conference worked out to our benefit; each team member experienced various challenges caused by the pandemic. We were disappointed with canceled plans but trusted God completely regardless of the circumstance. In perfect wisdom and grace, God provided the tools to handle the craziness the pandemic would send our way.
I am reminded of Paul’s advice:
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12.
Neither planning nor perfect execution would have made my plan work under the circumstances. God granted us the ability to rejoice in the hope found only in Him despite failed plans and a new normal. He gives us the patience to live through the tribulation. We have the opportunity to stay close to Him in constant prayer.
People have suffered various hardships over the last several months. God sweetly planted the truth of Romans 5:3-5 in my heart; I am determined to rejoice despite the difficulty. I see Him developing endurance in others as well. Endurance produces character and character hope. Yes, we can rejoice in hope, whatever our circumstances. We can turn our plans over to the One who holds the future, the One whose love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.
I am not sure what plans you may have made for 2020, but I would be shocked if a pandemic was part of it. Regardless of your situation, I pray you will find hope found in Jesus Christ!
May your heart rejoice,
Charlene Miller
Lean into Jesus Ministries
#charlenemillerblogs
