Back in Wamena: Live the Life

Last term, one of my main struggles was comparison. It is so tempting to look around at all the other women here and think, “They do this life better than me!” And once you start on that downward spiral, defeat, discouragement, and depression are not far behind.  Comparing yourself to everyone around you makes this life though.

When we left the field 7 months ago, I was hurting too deeply to even begin sorting through these wrong feelings and searching for truth. Thank God for furlough! It’s amazing what debriefing, rest, and a determination to sort through lies and replace them with the truth will do for you.

This morning, on day 3 back in Wamena, I opened my bible and read in 1 Cor 7:17, “Only let each person lead the life the Lord has assigned to him, to which God has called him. This is my rule in all the churches.”

There it was, right at the beginning of this next term on the field, the reminder to simply live the life I have.

What does this life look like?

It looks like compassionate parenting.

It looks like a healthy marriage.

It looks like writing.

It looks like loving my neighbors.

It looks like wrapping my heart’s deepest affections around Jesus.

That’s a life I love. That’s a life I can live with joy.