About Those Second Chances:

It’s happening, folks.

I finally bought the one-way plane ticket to fly to my missionary and ministry destination—for more than I wanted to pay, to travel later than I wanted (I arrive after my program starts).

It feels surreal that I have finally gotten to this point. I imagine in exactly one week, I will have arrived in Zimbabwe, having missed the first day of my program, and getting settled in my new room. And missing everyone I know and love in the US.

I’ve done so much already. Yet I still have so many things to do and I just keep pressing on, knowing that I have very little time left. There’s absolutely no time to beat myself up for getting to this point in my life so late. Even as I press on, the consequences sting and I have to wave them off with God’s grace.

I had a clear directive to get my master’s degree in social work 36 years ago and go to Zimbabwe for long-term missions. Because I was tired of being in school and broke all the time, I detoured myself to working instead of jumping right into grad school. I didn’t get my MSW until 2010.

When I was going through grad school, a colleague laughed when I told her how much I was paying a quarter to go to school. She’d graduated only five or six years before, and the cost was almost half as much as what I was paying a quarter. Now, if I would have gone right after undergrad like I should have, the cost would have been negligible compared to what I ended up paying.

The consequences of procrastinating, ignorance, laziness, whining, exploring options God didn’t give you, not seeking God’s wisdom, being weary in well-doing, and more, costs time and money. Lots of it.

Yes, God does give second chances. However, when God gives second chances, it’s painful for us because we realize what we’ve wasted and know what could have been. It’s not painful for Him because He’s already done told us what to do and we were being pigheaded about it. Have you found that out?

Not obeying God in the time frame He gives you is very expensive. I’m learning that lesson the hard way.

I used to listen to women who’d had a call on their lives for missions and ministry, but got married instead. Now, God blesses marriage, but those women were looking over their shoulders wondering what might have been if they’d followed their calling instead.

I’d listen to them and tell myself I didn’t want to be like them. Here I am, 36 years later, in exactly the same shoes as they were in. My procrastination wasn’t marriage, however; I was my own obstacle and worst enemy.

I already feel twinges of homesickness in leaving America. The Lord didn’t intend for me to stay in the states for so long and build up this affinity for my nation.

If you know the Lord has called you to something, don’t put it off like I did. Don’t talk yourself out of it. Do not get lazy or comfortable or whine that you don’t want to go single.

I never told myself I wouldn’t go single. Unfortunately, I still wasted a lot of time.

Going forward, I still see the hand and grace of God move in and around my life as I count down through my final preparations. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my life verses, and the love and grace of God continue to flow through my life from that verse even as I repent of laziness, fear of raising support, mistakes, selfishness, and poor timing.

Please continue to pray for me as I go through this week. I can’t forget anything because I can’t come back! (I’m planning to stay for about three years before I return for furlough.) And please pray for the rest of the financial support to come in.

I don’t know how much I’ll be able to blog after this week. Zimbabwe is notorious for not providing consistent access to the Internet. Maybe I can blog every other week. I’d still love to keep in touch. Check back next week and see if I show up again.

I appreciate your reading and sharing my page. If you want to keep up with me as I launch into a whole different part of the world, head over to my public Facebook page, For single Christians: One is a Whole Number. I will post part of my journey there, too: https://www.facebook.com/4singlechristians  

Love and blessings to you and your tribe, Glenda