...but what other phrase do i have which encapsulates this understanding any more clearly? frank & pam apisa are church planters in turino, italy, who are on required gcm furlow for three months here in the states. visiting columbus, they held a luncheon after sunday service to share about what the Lord has been doing there over the past few years and what He has in store in the future, which as it turns out is another church plant in italy, this time milano. for the gc regulars, this is nothing crazy out of the norm, albeit it is exciting nonetheless, but something struck me today. frank mentioned that he is turning sixty years old very soon.
practically three of my lifetimes thus far.
that's a long time, a really long time. not that frank is a dinosaur by any means, for he sure is vivacious and full of the Spirit but during those years, he has been involved with the start-up of my home church at the university of florida, planting the church in tampa, fl, as well as planting turino and now milano. on the drive home it struck me how incredibly young i am, at twenty-two years of age; it struck me, more than ever before, how much of my life i still have before me. oh the time that is left to lay eternal bricks in the Kingdom! this just stirs my soul, to think of where Jesus and I could wind up in ten, twenty-five, or fifty years from now.
sure He could come back soon, but i kinda really don't want that to happen just yet. as much as i would love to see Him return in all of His glory and fire, i would rather see more and more souls come before His throne of grace before this chapter is done. didn't paul have this same tension?
"if i am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. yet which i shall choose i cannot tell. i am hard pressed between the two. my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. but to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. convinced of this, i know that i will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith..." -phil. 1:22-25 (esv)
to a certain degree, paul is saying some things i am not, as well as i'm saying some things that paul is not. but in the words of rick whitney, "your life is a coin, you can only spend it once". Lord willing, i could have a solid forty to fifty years ahead of me. think of all the possibilities with forty years to spend?! we could plant churches at uga in athens, ga, um in miami, portland, reykjavik, manchester, edinburgh, marseilles, brussels, coppenhagen, the possibilities surpass endless.
is there anything worth holding onto in light of all of this? roth ira's? stability? marriage? there is so much to be gained for Him, if only i "sacrifice" my rights, in which i truly have none when all is said and done so that my sacrifice is no sacrifice at all, just a deeper realization that He owe me nothing, absolutely nothing, not even the next intake of oxygen into my lungs.
thank you Lord for that last breath.
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