Your Obedience Affects Me

Today the Terpstra's left the continent to follow God's leading to work in Africa.  They wanted to leave a year ago --  raising support takes time though. But at least two years ago they took the first step to say, "O.K., God.  We'll go."  And with that step of obedience our stories began to intertwine; we eventually became the ones to take their place of service at TNL, and God's great silence in our lives lifted.

It's amazing how your obedience will affect someone else's life; someone you never expected.  I have to wonder how many times did my obedience begin a domino effect in someone else's life?  Did my leaving that one place create a space for someone else to find purpose there?  Did my going to that other place for a short time mean something to someone even though it made no sense to me?  When I said that phrase, gave that gift, followed that urging, what changed?

We may never know how our obedience affects others, at least not fully.  But it's mysterious to think about it.  And it's certainly more peace-giving to consider this than to only consider how our obedience changes only our own lives.  Because it doesn't.  We are all connected.

"If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to one another."  -- Mother Teresa

Thank you, Father, for speaking.  Help me to listen and obey more and more.