It amazes me how God speaks to each of us differently. He knows every intimate detail about us and knows how best to get our attention. He knows my cautious personality and my need to process, and He is gracious to lead me one step at a time.
God has been preparing me for this jump for a long time. I had sensed a change in vocation was coming for quite a while, but I was trying to figure out the details before starting the next chapter. Almost two years ago, I asked a handful of friends and family to begin seriously praying with me about the next chapter in my life and ministry. God began providing some opportunities to pray through and consider. Each one was intriguing and forced me to confront some fears. Would I be willing to move far away from my family? Could I start somewhere new alone? Was I willing to give up some roles that I had allowed to intertwine with my identity? What would happen to various people and responsibilities if I left? Would someone else step up in my place? Last fall, God gave me another opportunity to increase my trust in Him as He sent me to Ethiopia. With each of these experiences and opportunities, God worked in my heart to help me release fears, to begin to dream about new possibilities, and to realize (again) that I had a tendency to cling to “familiar” and “safe.” I asked God to help me trust Him completely with what was next.
As Amy shared her experience of bungee jumping with me, I knew God was asking me, too, to listen to His voice and just jump. Resign without knowing what was next? Isn’t that a little crazy? But, wait, doesn’t God sometimes ask us to do “crazy” things for His glory? Ask Noah about an ark. Ask Esther about going before the King. Ask Moses about leading the people out of Egypt. Ask Moses’s mother about putting her much loved baby boy in a basket in the Nile River. Ask Joshua who led the people to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. Ask Mary about being the mother of Jesus. Ask any one of them if they regretted listening to God’s voice and jumping when He asked.
Me, neither. I want to join God on the adventure He is writing (and not try to write the chapter on my own.) I want my trust to be without borders. I long for others to know the amazing peace that comes in knowing that we can trust God completely… that He loved us SO much that He sent Jesus to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins...that we can have life with Him NOW and forevermore.
Resigning was just part of the jump He asked me to make. In May, I met with someone who asked me to brainstorm what I hoped would be a part of whatever was next. I responded, “I know it has something to do with missions.” As we began brainstorming, these things came rushing to the surface: I love doing missions. I also have a heart for getting others involved in missions as well. God has given me a love for the nations and I get excited about working with different cultures. I enjoy missionary care and love encouraging mission partners and praying for them. I love leading mission teams and find great joy in watching a light bulb come on as someone realizes that God can indeed use them. I love planning Global Missions Celebrations. I want to point people to Christ. I like coming alongside and doing life with someone and helping them move from one step to the next and learn. (That’s probably the teacher in me). I believe in the power of partnerships. I love children and teaching them that God can use them now. I want to write more….speak more….and help others find joy in serving and sharing Him. She stopped me and said, “Cara, have you ever considered consulting?” With surprise, I shook my head and then began thinking about the amazing experiences God has given me over the years in local missions as well as national and international missions. What a wide variety of experiences and relationships with missionaries that He has given me! Perhaps I could share the lessons I have learned with others and help them grow in their missions callings. The excitement bubbling in my heart that day was more than a brief hint of a fun idea…it brought with it a peace and confidence that this was what God had been preparing me for and was the answer to my prayers for “What next, Lord?”
As I said “yes,” He invited others to jump with me. Just Jump Ministries, Inc. was born. This is a ministry that involves all of those things that I had talked about. It is a consulting and coaching ministry for churches, associations, college groups, or other Christian groups who desire someone to come alongside them to establish and strengthen mission partnerships based on Acts 1:8…..to help plan Global Missions Celebrations….to identify local mission opportunities….to plan and lead mission trips with the advantage of years of experience and expertise….to share testimony of what God is doing in hearts all around our world. In many ways, it is offering a Missions Minister type role to a group for a short-term basis to help them move to the next level.
He is already beginning to fulfill the dream and calling He has placed on my heart. I don’t know yet exactly what it is all going to look like, and amazingly I’m okay with that. My heart is overwhelmed with peace and joy in following Him on this adventure. I am certain there are more jumps of trust ahead, and I am confident that He can be trusted every single time.
Is He asking you to do something that seems a little crazy? Listen to His voice. Just Jump!
“Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior”
(from “Oceans” by Hillsong United)
