Hang On, Hester!

I found this book on my desk Friday afternoon after another particularly rough week.  I’m honestly not sure how it got there.  It is from my class library but I had never noticed it before.  

As I looked at it, I thought, “Oh how appropriate!”  With all of the decisions we have to make for next year, with the endurance I need to finish out this year, with uncertainty and faith needed to believe God wants us here and trust He will provide for our needs, I just new this was God’s clever way of speaking to me.  To tell me it is going to be okay, I just need to “Hang on, Hester!”

Then today I was doing dishes and laundry, (both of which take an insane amount of time,) worrying a bit, doing some self-deprecating talk a bit, questioning God on whether or not we are doing “the right thing” a bit, and I started to think about the title of this book again.  This time though it sounded more like, “Now you just hang on, Hester!”  It was not the coddeling, comforting way of saying it, all the accents were in a different spot… it was reprimanding.  It dawned on me, who am I to worry about things of tomorrow?  I didn’t even know I was moving to Honduras until weeks before it happened!  Who am I to belittle myself for falling so, so short, even when doing my best?  Who am I to question God?  We are here, in Honduras… what in the world??!!  We have great things going on for His glory!  We are doing things we would have never dreamed of doing… or even really wanted to do!;)  When we are honest with ourselves and listening to God, we know we are where He wants us…today.

Our family has been doing a Bible study on 1 Samuel.  I think the book could be titled, Hang on, David! David’s faithfulness to God, despite being hunted for nothing, troubled, and confused, stoned by his own men, and chased from one land to another, has been sobering to us.  We have clung to the truth that “David was made strong by the Lord his God,” 1 Samuel 30:6, our God!  We have been inspired by the promise that “the Lord rewards everyone for doing what is right and being faithful.” 1 Samuel 26:23  Maybe these truths will tighten our grip for 'hanging on,' and remind us to whom we should be 'hanging on' to.

So how am I supposed to take this bit of wisdom?  …I think,Yes.  Hang On, Hester!   

-Julie         

P.S.  More about our thoughts on next year, soon to come... (by Travis)  Lots of exciting work!