A Sacrifice of Praise

(I’m cracking up at myself right now.  It has been over a year since I have touched this blog and in my last post I was talking about not being too attached to Mollie at first.  Well fast forward fourteen beautiful months and I am writing this….)

A sacrifice of praise.  This little phrase has been in my mind for a while now.  Back in October, Nate and I started to really plan for our mission trip to Nicaragua.  Since then I have been doubting myself, my reasons for going, and seriously weather I could leave my Mollie girl for a whole week and go to a different country.

Sure, I went on the youth mission trip last summer when she was little and that was bad enough…. but out of the country?!?  Ummm, that was a HUGE question in my mind!  Since then I have literally been a roller coaster when it comes to Nicaragua.  I just want to do what God wants me to do, but my heart already aches when I think about leaving Mollie.

Nate always says that when you’re faced with a decision, the hard way is probably the best.  With that mantra in mind, and almost all my senior girls signed up to go, I put my name on the list for Nicaragua.  I am a committed person, and I also love to stand next to my husband in ministry so I’m in.  I have to be in, right?

I went through lots of scenarios in my head where I didn’t have to go… and lots of scenarios where I had to go. ……….I have been before… They don’t need me… They’ve been before without me… What do I really add to the team… Am I enough… Does God really care if I go… But I need to be there for Nate… What if it’s my last trip with some of these people… I want to spend time with my girls… It will be tons of fun… It will be a great trip… It will help my relationship with Christ… I love witnessing to those people… They are so receptive…  If I don’t go, then someone I’m supposed to talk to may not come to a saving knowledge of Christ… Well now Kym’s not going, so I have a reason to drop out right………. WHATEVER.  ENOUGH.  All this says is I think about myself too much.  Mission trips and serving God is not about us.  It is never about me or you, it’s all about Jesus Christ.

 

Galatians 5:6b says, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

That’s the answer.  I had/have to get over myself… Surrender my fears… and focus on sharing the love of Christ!  That’s all that matters for my whole life.  I have to make God my #1… and when there are opportunities to serve Him and share Him, I have to do it.  Even if that means a whole week away from my daughter.

It is my sacrifice of praise.  It is a big deal for me to do this.  It takes a lot for me to surrender my fears and leave Mollie.  And it is not going to be easy at all.  I will definitely cry every day, and you probably shouldn’t talk to me all the way to DFW, but I’m going.  That’s right people, you better believe I’m going.

I’m going to share the love of Christ.

I’m going to prove to myself that HE is my peace when my fears are crippling.

I’m going to trust in HIS providential wisdom.

I’m going to put HIM #1.

I’m going to give my sacrifice of praise to HIM.

 

What are you struggling with today?  Is it fear and selfishness, like me?  What do you need to sacrifice to praise God better?  Is HE your #1?

 

-Whitney

 

Other blogs about fear: Lord Increase My Faith Decrease My Fears, Being Fearless, Let Go and Let God, Stand and Fight,