My husband travels for his job. A lot. I will never forget shortly after 9/11 being paralyzed with fear over him getting on a plane again just weeks after the Twin Towers fell. We had quite the heated discussion, as I plead with him to stay home. To be sensible. To think of his 3 small children and his wife. What if something happened to him?
© Goehrum Christian | Dreamstime Stock Photos
His reply has replayed in my mind hundreds of times over the years. He said,
Those simple words have increased my faith and resolve over the years. They’ve pushed me to live out what I profess to believe, and trust God with my husband, my kids, myself.
On July 7th-14th, my 17 year old son and I are scheduled to go on a Mission trip to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
And now there’s a new outbreak of a mosquito borne illness called “Chikungunya Virus”. We’ve got concerned parents, worried family members, tentative teammates and an hysterical media sparking fear in people’s hearts.
So again, I remember my husband’s wise words and choose NOT to let what-ifs stand in my way of serving.
I will stand firm amidst the worry. I will trust God for our safety.
And I will cling to these truths when I doubt:
1. My What if is nothing compared to what the Haitian people face each day.
I’ve been to Haiti before. I am acutely aware of the devastation and poverty they endure daily. My son watched a baby die before his very eyes. We’ve seen the squalor and living conditions they face. The homelessness, the illness, the starvation. So, honestly, what if I did get a non life-threatening virus or a horrible case of diarrhea or suffer through intense heat serving each day? My what ifs are absurd compared to the horrors and hardship the Haitians live with every single day.
That’s why I won’t let my what if stop me from going.
2. My What if is nothing compared to God’s what if.
I put my faith in a God that can move mountains, and grow faith the size of a mustard seed. I put my trust in a God who created everything I see and who is sovereign over all the Earth. I follow a God who heals, who saves and who forgives. I serve a God who died for me.
It’s hard to admit, but my what if only hurts me. What if I trusted God instead? What if I believed he could do great things even through a small, imperfect person like me. What if I could experience the joy of watching him accomplish great things?
That’s why I won’t let my what if keep me from being used by God however he sees fit.
In this life, you will face fear, doubt or uncertainty. You will worry for yourself or your loved ones, whether it’s at home or halfway around the world. You will be tempted to let popular opinion dictate your actions, instead of trusting God to have your back. You might want to say no when you should say yes.
And when you do I pray you will ask yourself a single question:
What if I trusted I am in God’s hands no matter where I go?
Have there been situations where you struggled with fear or worry instead of trust?