Well, it has finally happened. Our very first men’s boot camp- right here in South Australia and it was awesome. What a humbling experience to have been a part of this courageous group of men. Once again, God came and did what He always does; provide for those who are hungry for more! He ministered, He spoke, He taught and He poured out His blessings- truly an amazing time it was.
However, the fact that I started off with the word “finally” is saying something about my previous struggles and expectations towards God. I must confess that there was a moment that I was wondering if it was really going to take place at all.
You see, I had been wrestling with trust issues towards God and I had left them unresolved- something we should try to avoid at all cost because the results are devastating. God showed me this through something, seemingly insignificant; a splinter! It was Friday evening whilst closing a door, that a splinter found its way into my index finger, right next to my fingernail. The tiny piece of wood had lodged itself into such a position, that removing it would take skill and the proper instruments to remove it, both of which I had none. I was kinda hoping it would find it’s way out without me having to intervene. How wrong I was. By Sunday morning my finger was red and infected and the throbbing feeling had been interfering with my sleep the night before. Needless to say that by now it is a distracting nuisance (guess who would benefit from that?) and something needed to be done about it.
After taking my buck knife to my finger, it proved useless against the “mighty splinter”, it was too subtle and too deep to get to. Feeling defeated and distracted, I made my way down to the dining hall to grab a cup of coffee before the morning’s first session was to begin. As I entered the hall, where he was- in official working clothes- an ambulance nurse sipping away at his warm drink. He had no idea what I was talking about when I shouted at him that he was here for me. In his mind, he had come down to the boot camp site to visit his wife who was part of the wonderful catering team.
Oh, how something so tiny can have such an impact on our day-to-day behaviour. Or worse- how we approach God. Not the splinter, I am referring to what we truly believe about Him. Do we really trust His heart towards us?
The religious answer for me was “Yes, of course, I trust you- God” but saying something and then acting upon it, is something totally different. For me, it was learning to let go and let God lead and that included waiting three years to organise this retreat. Was it worth the wait? You bet it was!
Love, strength & honour,
Michael
