I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who wrote me kind notes, delivered meals, and prayed for our family last week as I was recovering from COVID. I am so grateful for your support and encouragement. Thank you so much! I am happy to report that I am feeling much better and that Monday, Oct. 4 was my last day of quarantine. On Tuesday I started easing back into my normal routines.
It was a really hard week for me, but it was also a week filled with extraordinary grace. There are a few things that I feel like God was teaching me in the midst of it all that I want to share with you in hopes that it will encourage you today.
Hard times don’t feel quite as hard when you are in community. Last week would have felt completely different if I didn’t have my wife and my kids supporting me every day. But my church family also made a huge difference. I was forced to lean on others because I couldn’t really do anything. And I watched with gratitude as people stepped into the gap. Our staff team, our leadership team, and countless others in our church family rose to the occasion and led in my absence. And they did an amazing job! I got a close-up view of how the body of Christ is supposed to work. I was reminded of the verse in 1 Corinthians 12:26-27, “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” We get to share in each other’s joy as well as the suffering. And we grow closer because of it. It was a beautiful thing to see and experience. And this is exactly what I want you and everyone in our church family to experience!
It’s really easy for me to focus on the 1 bad thing and forget about the 10 good things. I think I am hardwired to notice something bad right away, and I can get fixated on it. Like all of you, I am super disappointed that we have to postpone our church launch. We’ve worked so long and so hard. I felt discouraged. I felt like it was my fault. I felt like I let everyone down. But as I was forced into the silence and slowness of the quarantine, God encouraged me to give thanks for all the good things. Even though we have to delay our launch, I am thankful that we still have a committed community of people who are all-in for Jesus. Even though we have to delay, I am thankful that God’s Kingdom continues to advance. Even though we have to delay, I am thankful that God is in control and he is still writing our beautiful story. We read in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that we are to “give thanks in all circumstances.” This exercise of expressing gratitude – even in the midst of the storm – changed my perspective and my countenance. Let me encourage you to give it a try. Take 5 minutes right now and give thanks to God for all that is good.
So as we journey through this season as a church family, let me remind you that you are not alone. And let me encourage you to give thanks! I am confident that God is with us and he will lead us. He will do this!