4 year olds trying to marry me off & an answer in silence. . .

some of  my missions team & I in Costa Rica!

Today was my first day at the new job & as I sat at a table shaped as an octagon with multiple 4 year olds coloring, these three little boys were absolutely shocked when I told them I didn't have a baby because I was nowhere close to being married. Their jaws dropped even more so once I said I didn't even have a boyfriend; all of a sudden I was given some incredibly wise advice. . .one little boy tells me, "Right after school today, you have to go find yourself a boyfriend!" The other two boys played off of that bit o' wisdom & told me I MUST find a boyfriend so I could fall in love, get married, & have a baby. All of this occurred in the morning. . .later the same afternoon, the first boy reminded me of my duty after school. . .for some reason, they were set on the whole idea! Made my day & it still makes me giggle thinking these little guys were trying to marry me off, haha! Trust me though, those of you who are reading this, those things are not even a priority anywhere in my life. . .I really desired to share this with you because I love to bring a smile to your face through the stories that bring a smile to mine :). Another little boy had me giggling because he told me I looked like I was 5 years old. . .he's 3. Man, those growth spurts aren't messing around!

In my last post about Ruth, I mentioned writing about some of the other things I have been learning from God in my next post, which is this one! A lot has been going on in my life, things that range from a guy to my photography/camera to the reason of my being in Japan! Because of these things, I have had so many questions & I have stood before God presenting my desire for some clear, visible answers to Him. . .not in a way that is questioning Him, but coming before Him seeking answers, understanding, wisdom, ANYTHING, but I have not received a single clear answer. Without even realizing it, I was beginning to grow weary from it, until God did answer me through my devotional. He didn't answer my questions, but He answered my weariness.

"The mine destroys & contaminates!"
graffiti in Costa Rica is awesome.

". . .His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into an even more wonderful understanding of Himself."

". . .not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him - He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes." 

-Oswald Chamber (My Utmost for His Highest)

After reading these words (& so many more) I began to realize that I am receiving a silence that brings me into a deeper understanding of God's character; one that is drawing me closer to His purposes (the "answers" I'm looking for) for me & He is going to reveal it in His timing, not mine. The author even writes, "Time is nothing to God." My cousin & I had a discussion on this & the way I described it to her was like a surprise birthday party; if you're anything like me, you LOVE surprises! I explained to my cousin that if someone was to plan a surprise birthday party for me & then solely because I question what to do for my birthday, this someone ends up telling me that they're planning a surprise birthday party, what I'm receiving for gifts, who all is going to be there, & so forth. . .I'd be sooooooo upset! It ruins the "bigger revelation" Oswald Chambers is talking about.

I want to go deeper than a surprise birthday party though; the verse that goes along with this devotional is John 11:6: "Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days." YEP, the story of Lazarus. . .pretty epic story right here. Although Jesus knew that Lazarus was sick, He stayed right where He was. . .Lazarus ends up dying & immediately we, as well as Mary, Martha, & their friends, question why the heck would Jesus do something like that if He could heal Lazarus & save his life?! Jesus then makes a statement which seems so messed up:

"So then He told them [the disciples] plainly, 'Lazarus is dead, & for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.'" -John 11:14-15

son of a missionary in Costa Rica

After arriving where Lazarus & his sisters, Mary & Martha resided, Jesus comes to the tomb. . ."'Take away the stone,' He said. 'But Lord,' said Martha, the sister of the dead man, 'by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.' Then Jesus said,

'Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?' 

So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up & said, 'Father, I thank You that You have heard me. I knew that You always have heard Me. . .'

When He had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands & feet wrapped with strips of linen, & a cloth around his face. 

-John 11:39-44

This story is an incredible example of the Lord's silence. . .people questioned why Jesus didn't come sooner to heal Lazarus, I mean really, immediately after He arrived where Lazarus resided, everybody (Mary, Martha, & their friends) were questioning Him, yet He responded in silence. He never gave a reason except that they may see His glory & believe. How much more legit is it that Jesus raised a man from the dead by simply saying, "Lazarus, come out!" I also love how Jesus tells God that He knows that He hears & has always heard.

come thou fount.
(found this on pinterest.com)
I want to make something like this

If God always gave us the answers to our questions, we would never see the miracles in our life happen; miracles that give Him all the glory so that we & others may believe. I no longer desire my questions to be answered right now. . .I'm so much more stoked for these "bigger revelations" to come unexpectedly.