Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Si Dios lo permite ... If God allows it


Si Dios lo permite ... If God allows it

This is a very common saying in the Spanish language.

For years now, we have heard it in every day conversations.

When you invite someone to something ...

When you plan something together ...

When you talk about the future ...

When you talk about possibilities ...

I have always smiled in my heart at the sound of this phrase.

After all, the Bible makes it clear that we should live in the framework of that thought.

Essential Latin for Reformed Christians: “D.V.” | YINKAHDINAY

Now more than ever, we are realizing the true weight and value of those words.

2018 taught us a lesson about those words in a very hard way.

Since returning to PR in January, things have been uncertain and unstable to say the least.

Over the last few months, we have learned the meaning of those words yet again.

We are very clearly still learning about what it really means for the Lord to be the one to decide what we do & what we do not do.



This lockdown has revealed to us that even though we have surrendered our lives to the calling that The Lord placed on our family, we are still living as if everything that we plan is certain to come to pass.

We fill our daily, monthly & yearly calendars with plans for work at ministry sites, ministry events, short term mission teams, and travel plans.

All with great intentions ... with a desire for the Lord's ministry on the island to continue to reach more young people.

But very rarely considering what will happen if the plans fall through.

Once again, as He has done more times than we can count, The Lord has interrupted our plans.
  • Visits in April from both sets of our parents have been canceled.  Being away from family is hard.  These visits help us to connect and give Josie time to make memories.  That time together now has to be rescheduled.
  • So far, five mission teams have had to cancel their trips for 2020.  So much time goes into preparing and planning for these teams and their trips.  So many people are involved in fundraising, planning, preparing & executing the work.  Camps have been canceled, kids have been disappointed, & needs are not being met.  It is hard to keep our hearts from wondering why these "plans for good" have fallen through.
  • General Assembly - a conference for our global Youth For Christ International family - was postponed.  Missionaries, staff and volunteers from around the world have been looking forward to & planning for this opportunity in The Netherlands for 3 years now.  The conference is now rescheduled for 2021 and we are left with disappointment.
We make intentional efforts every single day to creatively plan ways to reach more people with the Gospel. build awareness of the ministry needs, & maintain connections with our support system worldwide.

Yet in an instant - all of the hours spent in planning and preparing for everything mean nothing as one by one the plans have been dissolving.

We can all plan, budget, dream, have goals and write itineraries.

But in the end, we truly have zero control of the outcome.

We have been reminded yet again that if it is not something that He allows, it simply will not come to pass.

As we exhale each day & process more news of cancellations, delays, disappointments, and extensions of this lockdown, those same four words continuously come to mind.

Si Dios lo permite  .... If God allows it


This interruption has made us fully aware of our true responsibility in the Lord's work in this world.

We are simply managers of what the Owner of it all has entrusted us with.

The time, talents and treasures that we have in this life are not ours.

They have been given to us to steward, care for, expand, share, and to manage.

No different than when we borrow something from someone else & ask their permission before we use it, we should be intentional about seeking The Lord before we use these resources.

We own nothing.  We control nothing.

If THE LORD allows something to happen, our hearts can rejoice with thanksgiving & praise.

If THE LORD does not allow it, our hearts can still rejoice knowing that it must not have been His best.


So ... as we wait to see how & when this season will come to an end, we are intentionally choosing not to waste what we have been given.

You see, we are still held accountable for what we are doing with our time, talents & treasures during this time of isolation & uncertainty.

We can choose to use this time to make an impact on this world that carries on long beyond our lives.

We can have an enteral Kingdom impact if we steward well this season despite the discouragement and disappointment that we are feeling and facing.



Si Dios lo permite .... If God allows it.

May we never go back to how things were before this.

May our lives & schedules always reflect the work that was done in our hearts in 2020.

May this world be forever changed because of the way we choose to steward this season!