Insanity

The dirty skies of Bangkok (normally it is not THIS bad)

Yesterday I had to go see a  doctor to see if I am healthy enough to renew my work permit here in Thailand.  Among the conditions that are not acceptable for a work permit:

• TB in the infectious state
• Alcohol additction
• Drug addiction
• Stage 3 Syphilis
• Severe manifestations of elephantiasis
• Insanity

I’m glad he didn’t question me too hard on the last item.  I could see it now, “So you quit a nice job in order to take on a new one with much less pay and harder work.  You then moved out of a nice house in the suburbs and into a city where the air is toxic to breathe and it is so warm and humid all the time that you work up a sweat going upstairs in an elevator.  You must be insane.”

In my darker moments I sometimes wonder the same thing.  I remember when we started this adventure that I laid it all on the line—willing to even give up my life so that others may hear the good news of the gospel.  But somehow, subjecting my body to extreme physical conditions doesn’t seem to have the same glory attached to it as being a martyr for the gospel. 

I’ve been reading a book by a Thai author who paints a very dark picture of Bangkok and what people endure in this city because, as bad as it is, it offers more than they had in NE Thailand.  As I read it I find myself wondering if I want to agree with him or not, because if it is really that bad, then why did I purposely come here?

But it is all a matter of perspective.  We quit our jobs and moved out of our nice house in order to follow our Lord to a place where we can bring hope to a people who live in a culture devoid of such hope, which makes their spiritual environment far worse than  their physical one.  The joy we see we the eyes of people who come out of darkness and into light far outweighs any environmental conditions we may have to endure.  And if we do endure these conditions to better reach those who also must endure them, then it becomes not only an acceptable cost of doing business but a pathway to joy.

Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. 1 Corinthians 3:18-19a (NLT)

Focal Point

Nymphaea lotus Nymphaeaceae-Water Lily-Queen Sirikit Park
Originally uploaded by SierraSunrise

When designing things or taking pictures, we often use the concept of focal points.  The focal point of an image or object is that part or parts which our eyes are drawn to without even thinking about it.  Advertisers are masters at using these.  But the idea is not original to man, God had the idea first.

Often when we look at flowers, the design is such that insects or pollinators attention will be  drawn to a certain part of the flower.  Some of these may be obvious to us, others only to the pollinators that use them.

Our lives need focal points as well.  We may call them goals, objectives, targets or any one of a number of things.

As we finish up language study here in Bangkok, the concept of focal points becomes very important.  During our time here in Thailand so far, we have become aware of all kinds of good things that we could be doing.  But just because something is good, does not mean we should be doing it. We have to constantly go back to the question: Why are we here in Thailand?

While originally we had an idea as to the specific location and type of ministry we should be doing, for a lot of reasons it looks like that won't be happening--at least right now.  So where do we go?  What do we do?  We have been presented with various options and have prayed for God to help show us the next steps.  All of the options have been good, in that they are meaningful ministries that are helping bring the Kingdom of God to Thailand.

But we go back to the question, Why did we quit our jobs and leave the location we loved to embark on this journey?  Back in 2008, when we were still enjoying our lives in Fresno, the message we seemed to hear from God is this: that we should be on a team, starting faith communities among the least reached.  This is our three-pronged vocational focal point.  We don't always quite understand why we have this compulsion to be doing such a thing when it seems so far removed from who we thought we were or what we thought we should be doing.  But that is why we left our jobs, left Fresno, and left our family and friends to come here to Thailand.

As we think about all the things we could be doing here, we weigh the options in light of the focal point mentioned above.

During the next few weeks we and some others with us will be trying to discern what exactly that will look like during the next period of our lives.  The uncertainty is at times disconcerting but it is also exciting.  We look forward to seeing how God will use the persons He designed us to be to move us toward the focal point of our lives.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)