Our Call to Go
You have probably heard or read a lot of stories about people who have known since they were young that they were called to go throughout the world and to serve the Lord in a full time capacity. Well, we aren't those people.
Our journey has been an absolutely amazing one and really only started within the past several years. As members of Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, TN we had the blessing of watching from the outside as some of our fellow sunday school class members answered their own call to "go". We can distinctively remember looking at each other and saying "good for them, glad we weren't called to do that". It is as clear as day as we watched them in their process and wrestled with the notion of how crazy they were to uproot their family and move across the world. Who does that? How could they give up Saturdays in the fall watching the Tennessee Vols crush football giants like Montana and Buffalo? How are they going to be able to afford to buy stuff they don't need? Won't this be a set back from advancing in the careers that they aren't passionate about and don't fulfill them? They are crazy.
For me (Tate), those questions just wouldn't seem to go away and God used this as an opportunity to begin to draw me back into a closer relationship with Him. I couldn't kick the lingering question of "what if I am being called by God to something huge in my life and I'm just not hearing His voice?". So scripture and prayer were the first place to turn with a dose of willingness to get outside the comfort zone. God began to put on Brooke's heart the desire to go on a mission trip and that we were to go as a couple. We happened to hear a presentation from a faith-based organization one Sunday regarding the work they are doing to build beds for orphans in various parts of the world. We were completely drawn into the work that we were hearing about and felt like it would be a great fit for us to serve. So in November 2011 we stepped outside our comfort zone and left for a short term mission trip with this organization to Cape Town, South Africa. We left with an agenda to show God's love to people and a willingness to be reshaped for how we would live our lives when we got back home.
We spent 10 amazing days in Cape Town, and like most people who take mission trips, came home greatly impacted from what we had seen, experienced and done. As we fell back into our normal lives some things just didn't feel right anymore. I struggled to get back into the rhythm of my job. Brooke struggled with material things that had assumed control in our lives. The stuff we would spend money on seemed to burden our hearts more. The excess that our lives were built upon simply grossed us out. As we processed all these feelings we knew we were probably no different than many before us. We were simply having a temporary emotional reaction to all that we had experienced on the trip. Eventually we will get back to normal and life as we knew it would be comfortable again. But was that really what we wanted? Was that really what God wanted? So we began to seek the guidance of our missions pastor and others to understand how to better process these feelings. As we did and met over the course of several months weird things began to happen. Those temporary feelings didn't seem to pass. Scripture seemed to almost jump out of our Bibles and slap us in the face. But of course, like all good Christians, we were pretty sure we had a better plan and what we were feeling wasn't actually what was best. So we continued to pray, continued to read, continued to listen.....continued to stall. As we did this we were constantly reminded of the story of Abraham and Isaac. God had called Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the most cherished thing in his life, because God had called him to do it. So as the story goes, Abraham answers the call and prepares to give his son to God. Right before the final step, God stops him knowing Abraham's obedience and willingness to say "yes" so that nothing would stand between his relationship with Him.
So we said "yes". A three letter word that most of us use countless times a day and don't even think about. Let me tell you, use it to agree to something like moving to the other side of the world and all the sudden it seems like a thousand letter word that has never come out of your mouth before.
So we said "yes". And God opened our hearts to emotions, wisdom, peace, understanding and comfort that we have never known before.
So we said "yes". The walls and obstacles we built in our heads began to fall and pieces aligned that were never imaginable.
So we said "yes". And now we go. We go with happy hearts. We go proclaiming the awesomeness of God. We go with the willingness to be obedient. We go knowing we are not equipped. We go knowing we will get more than we will give. We go in full faith. We go to be the hands and feet of Christ in South Africa.
If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever will save his life shall lose it, and whoever shall lose his life for my sake will find it.
Luke 9:23-24
Our journey has been an absolutely amazing one and really only started within the past several years. As members of Brentwood Baptist Church in Brentwood, TN we had the blessing of watching from the outside as some of our fellow sunday school class members answered their own call to "go". We can distinctively remember looking at each other and saying "good for them, glad we weren't called to do that". It is as clear as day as we watched them in their process and wrestled with the notion of how crazy they were to uproot their family and move across the world. Who does that? How could they give up Saturdays in the fall watching the Tennessee Vols crush football giants like Montana and Buffalo? How are they going to be able to afford to buy stuff they don't need? Won't this be a set back from advancing in the careers that they aren't passionate about and don't fulfill them? They are crazy.
For me (Tate), those questions just wouldn't seem to go away and God used this as an opportunity to begin to draw me back into a closer relationship with Him. I couldn't kick the lingering question of "what if I am being called by God to something huge in my life and I'm just not hearing His voice?". So scripture and prayer were the first place to turn with a dose of willingness to get outside the comfort zone. God began to put on Brooke's heart the desire to go on a mission trip and that we were to go as a couple. We happened to hear a presentation from a faith-based organization one Sunday regarding the work they are doing to build beds for orphans in various parts of the world. We were completely drawn into the work that we were hearing about and felt like it would be a great fit for us to serve. So in November 2011 we stepped outside our comfort zone and left for a short term mission trip with this organization to Cape Town, South Africa. We left with an agenda to show God's love to people and a willingness to be reshaped for how we would live our lives when we got back home.
We spent 10 amazing days in Cape Town, and like most people who take mission trips, came home greatly impacted from what we had seen, experienced and done. As we fell back into our normal lives some things just didn't feel right anymore. I struggled to get back into the rhythm of my job. Brooke struggled with material things that had assumed control in our lives. The stuff we would spend money on seemed to burden our hearts more. The excess that our lives were built upon simply grossed us out. As we processed all these feelings we knew we were probably no different than many before us. We were simply having a temporary emotional reaction to all that we had experienced on the trip. Eventually we will get back to normal and life as we knew it would be comfortable again. But was that really what we wanted? Was that really what God wanted? So we began to seek the guidance of our missions pastor and others to understand how to better process these feelings. As we did and met over the course of several months weird things began to happen. Those temporary feelings didn't seem to pass. Scripture seemed to almost jump out of our Bibles and slap us in the face. But of course, like all good Christians, we were pretty sure we had a better plan and what we were feeling wasn't actually what was best. So we continued to pray, continued to read, continued to listen.....continued to stall. As we did this we were constantly reminded of the story of Abraham and Isaac. God had called Abraham to sacrifice his only son, the most cherished thing in his life, because God had called him to do it. So as the story goes, Abraham answers the call and prepares to give his son to God. Right before the final step, God stops him knowing Abraham's obedience and willingness to say "yes" so that nothing would stand between his relationship with Him.
So we said "yes". A three letter word that most of us use countless times a day and don't even think about. Let me tell you, use it to agree to something like moving to the other side of the world and all the sudden it seems like a thousand letter word that has never come out of your mouth before.
So we said "yes". And God opened our hearts to emotions, wisdom, peace, understanding and comfort that we have never known before.
So we said "yes". The walls and obstacles we built in our heads began to fall and pieces aligned that were never imaginable.
So we said "yes". And now we go. We go with happy hearts. We go proclaiming the awesomeness of God. We go with the willingness to be obedient. We go knowing we are not equipped. We go knowing we will get more than we will give. We go in full faith. We go to be the hands and feet of Christ in South Africa.
If anyone will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever will save his life shall lose it, and whoever shall lose his life for my sake will find it.
Luke 9:23-24