Sometimes we plan things and things go nothing like we
planned! This summer has been case and point for that type of planning!
I decided in April that I was going to move home for the
summer and live with my parents so that I could serve at my home church and
live life with the students there while they are out of school. I had been home
for the summer a couple years back and mostly served my family and worked in
our home, due to health issues with my mother. But this summer, I was going to
take care of that ahead of time! I planned it all out, sat down with my parents,
and asked them if I could live at home for the summer and their home be my base
to serve out of. I made clear that I would not be at home as much as previous
summers, and I would be able to help some, but that would not be my primary
task for the summer. Can you see where this is going?! Looking back this is
quite humorous! It must have been to my Heavenly Father who sees the whole
timeline of our lives.
Within a few days of being home for the summer, I began to
see that I was going to be serving my family more than I had originally
anticipated. I was pretty okay with this at first. That next week, I would have a whole week to
myself to jump start my summer of ministry while my parents were away at the
beach. Then one afternoon, my grandmother called and was headed to the hospital
because she was really sick. Everything changed at that point, including my
attitude! My plans had been thrown out the window! And without asking me!! My first step of progress was to tell a
friend, “I realize this is what God had planned for this week of my summer, but
I DON’T LIKE IT!”
Such honesty in the face of God’s Word quickly humbled me. I
was aware of God’s loving discipline to his children for sinful attitudes of
self-centeredness and complaining. God began to patiently teach me of his plans
for me.
Has my desire been to truly serve God or to tell God how I want to serve him? To truly serve God is not writing out a description and restrictions on how I will serve him.
My summer has not been what I’ve expected, but what great
truth God has taught me about what serving God truly is! I have still been able
to invest in the students’ lives like I had hoped, but that has been through
real life-on-life discipleship. Those girls have seen my struggles and my
failures! They have come over to a messy house with interruptions during our
times together to care for the needs of my family. They have served with me. We
have run errands and gone grocery shopping together. But honestly what better
way to make disciples than truly living life together and seeing Christ has the
center of it all!
We are all in different phases of life! I am single but have
a family with lots of needs due to prolonged sickness and changing
circumstances. Many women have full-time jobs, are wives or moms, and have
full, busy schedules that we try to control and plan. How much greater is our
God than we are to plan our days! We expected to serve God in one way, but God
had other plans. We can rejoice together in that God has a plan and a great
purpose for everyday of our lives! Oh and what a joy that His thoughts are
higher than our thoughts and his ways are higher than our ways!
Katie Kasey is a 2+2 (International
Church Planting M-Div) student
at Southeastern. God has given Katie the privilege of serving Him at North
Henderson Baptist Church in Henderson, NC. She is excitedly preparing to serve
God overseas with the IMB. Katie’s family is one of her greatest joys in life.
She loves being a new aunt! She also loves using photography to encourage
others and promote God’s glory among all people.
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