Why Was I Worried?

 It is humbling to realize how many times I have to learn the same lesson.

Some lessons we’ve managed to learn. When hardships come, we know that God will provide and in some situations we don’t even notice the potential hardships because we have grown to trust that we will be provided for and it will all turn out okay. Thoughts that used to bother us and cause us to worry might still pop into our minds, but they don’t linger or take root in our hearts. In those situations we can remind ourselves of God’s promises, we can remember the lessons of His faithfulness in our past and be reassured.

Ready for school in France (2012)

But some areas in their life we are slow to learn.
 
One slow-learning area has been related to our kids. We knew when we answered the call to serve overseas that it would mean our future children would have unique blessings and hardships. We knew that (like all parents) our choices would greatly impact our kids.

But still anticipating hard times for our kids is rough. If there is a hardship that hits one of us parents or that is hitting the family as a whole, it’s easier to remember the lessons of God’s faithfulness, but if it’s just our kids, the troubling thoughts are more likely to linger and more likely to take root in worry. In worry, our minds come up with lots of reasons why the current situation is unique, how the factors are new, thereby subconsciously trying to convince our hearts that these new factors somehow invalidate the previous examples of provision.

When our oldest daughter was set to start school, we happened to be in France. We had only arrived days before. She had never been to school. The school would be all in French with native French speakers. She didn’t know any French. She was starting mid-year with a group of kids that all knew each other already. My mind had lots of reasons why this could be really hard on her. Would she cry? cling to my leg? be miserable? We prayed about it and got others praying, but it was still with nervousness and worry that I walked to school with her on the first day. That’s when God (through our daughter) totally astounded me. As soon as we got to the door, our daughter ran right in without being told, without a backward glance and started doing a puzzle at one of the tables with another child. Even the teacher was surprised and assumed our daughter had been to school before. I saw it for what it was, a lesson that God was answering prayers and watching over our daughter. I didn’t need to worry.

School on the islands (2014)

This early lesson hasn’t stopped us from worrying multiple times with our kids at school. When we transitioned to the islands, the new factors were the facts that they were the only foreign kids, and that island teachers didn’t work very hard to make things fun or interesting, preferring to use fear and shame as motivators for learning. Still somehow our daughter’s transition to island school went fine. Next it was the fact that our three kids are different— our daughter was fine, but our sons have unique factors that might have made school more difficult for them. We could feel worry creeping into our hearts.

And to be honest, sometimes island school has been difficult. But each time we’ve hit a major transition point and gotten ourselves worked up about it and proceeded to get people to pray, God has answered in amazing ways and left me questioning, “why was I so worried?”

So now to the latest lesson— lots of new factors to feed the worry machine… high school, boarding school! (with all the accompanying challenges), our older (easily bored) son only doing homeschool, our youngest at local school by himself having struggled with French— it was easy to imagine that this fall could have left all three of our kids really struggling (or at least that’s what worry told our hearts). We’ve prayed a lot and even though I know it shouldn’t surprise us anymore, we have been amazed by how well our kids are doing. I am humbled, because even as I knew that God is faithful and I knew He had provided in similar circumstances, I had also prepared myself for this fall not going well.

Doing some homeschool art time! (this week)

I shouldn’t be surprised. Our daughter is doing great and seems to be thriving with friends, teachers and classes she really enjoys. Our sons have adjusted quickly to their new schooling situations. The older coming up with so many activities and things he wants to grow in that his schedule is full, leaving little time for boredom. The younger being blessed by an unusually patient island teacher and also understanding more French than he ever has.

Why was I worried again? Isn’t this the same lesson? Thankfully we have a very patient Father willing to provide us the same lessons again and again. And maybe soon, we will still remember to pray fervently and we will see Him be amazingly faithful, but we can skip the worrying part.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
Praise that our three kids are all doing fine in their respective school situations.  Definitely an answer to prayer.  Rice is back in the shops and we think flour has started to come back! We are hoping the bakeries will be back to full production soon.  Two of our teammates are getting ready to head back to their home countries for some months.  They have both had very successful terms and we are so thankful for the growth, strength, perseverance and love shown by each of them.  We’ll miss them and will look forward to their return.  Tom’s good friend, Barak is back from 5 months of medical treatment on another island.  The reunion was very joyful.  Barak appears to be in much better health after two operations, and he joyfully told Tom it is because of our prayers he is better.  Hoping this is an opening for more healing and new life!


PRAYERS REQUESTED
Just because things are going well does not mean there won’t be challenges along the way.  Pray with us for our kids, and your kids—there are bound to be difficulties, hard times, and struggles but we never have to give up hope.  Let’s keep praying for them—our Father is faithful.  Dimi will have a chance to visit with a counselor during his travels, may it be a comfort to him in his grief.  Keep lifting up his children as well.  Pray for Uhaju as he continues to search for more fellowship.  Pray that island brothers and sisters across the islands would desire to see each other at least once a week, if not more.  So many seem content with once a month or less.  Tomorrow is Tom’s birthday and he got home from class this evening not feeling well.  Pray for him to feel better quick!