A Note from the FM South Asia Leader’s Desk:
Today as I write this note to you, I find myself with a curious
question. Where do you receive
affirmation and encouragement? Where
do our FM leaders, staff, and church planters in the field get the affirmation
and encouragement to keep going? Church
planting among unreached peoples is not easy work to do. Sometimes we face great challenges, setbacks,
and spiritual warfare. Sometimes, even
in times of victory, we can feel we have few people to even rejoice with us in
or understand how significant the breakthrough we experienced was for us. God
designed us as human beings to need encouragement and affirmation. Without it, there is a gap or a hole inside
of us that longs to be filled.
Often, when feeling the lack of affirmation, we can start to blame
others. It’s easy to say, “My leader
doesn’t visit or call me enough.” Or we can wonder why YWAM doesn’t have better
member care. Or why our parents and
friends forget to write to us, or don’t understand our work and calling. Sometimes we want more affirmation from our
team members, closest friends or spouse.
This need in our life can cause loneliness and make us handicapped or
crippled from effective, fruitful ministry in the harvest field. This is not God’s plan or desire! He wants us to have full access 24 hours a
day, to abundant affirmation, love, acceptance and encouragement! He wants us to be full and overflowing with
this, so we can give it away to others.
So, let me come back to the question again: where do you receive
affirmation and encouragement? Pause
a moment and answer this for yourself.
Then, ask yourself, where do you wish you received it but don’t? Acknowledging our need before the Lord is the
right place to start. We don’t have to
pretend we are strong and don’t need this.
We can admit that we really long for someone to notice how much we have
worked or suffered or to tell us “Good job!
Keep going. You’re doing
well.” But we can’t stop there. Father God, our Papa, is longing to speak
those words to us if we will slow down, quiet our hearts and listen. He designed us with that gap, so we would
turn to Him (not others, leaders, team members or those who never can truly
fill this hole in us!) He is an abundant
source of encouragement and longs to speak to you, even now, “Well done, my
faithful son or daughter. I am well
pleased with you.” Romans 8:31-37 tells
us that if Papa God is for us, who can ever be against us? Nothing can separate us from his love. Except maybe our own inability to listen or
receive from Him. When we close our ears and are too busy to listen to the
love, affirmation and encouragement He is waiting to give us.
My prayer for you today (and for myself too) is this: May your heart
be quiet enough to hear His still small voice whisper-“ I love you. You are mine.
I am proud of you.” May the
voices of shame, loneliness, failure, or rejection be silenced enough that your
Papa God’s voice can be heard. “You did
well my child. I love you
unconditionally. Keep going. I am with
you. I am using you and doing more
through you then you can see.” Let’s
pray this for one another this month. As
He brings greater revelation to us, we will be strengthened in Him and have an
abundant supply of love to give away to the unreached and lost around us.
