A Chance to Breathe

Ah, Saturday. The one day each week where Michael and I both get some time to rest during this busy summer season. These past two weeks have been quite the whirlwind for us both, packed with training sessions and hang-out times with the new TP summer staffers. Along with that, Michael was also honored to be involved in the wedding party of Ki-Yong and Carolyn Kim, friends from Biola days, last Saturday. Even in the midst of all the madness of summer preparations, this wedding was an incredible blessing to the both of us. Michael was able to have meaningful worship and fellowship time with friends in the wedding party, and I was surprised to see some familiar faces from our days in Hart, as well as good girlfriends from Torrey Honors, back at Biola. Each of the guests of the wedding were also given the privilege of witnessing the Korean Pae-Baek ceremony during the reception, which is packed with symbols of fertility, provision and support in the marriage relationship. Probably the most anticipated part of the Pae-Baek ceremony came at the very end where Ki-Yong, in full traditional garb, gave a piggy-back ride to the equally decked-out Carolyn, symbolizing the support that he now gives to her as husband.

I have been greatly blessed to partake in just this kind of support this week, coming both from Michael and from the Lord. Michael continues to offer encouragement when I am stressed, and God is constantly doing my job for me! I often feel as though I am scrambling to tie up all my loose ends before the first batch of campers arrives at Ponderosa, sometimes very unsure how I will get it done. Each time I come to a panic moment, I tell God he just has to do it for me...and he does! In such situations, I have been reminded of how backward our thinking can be about our role vs. God's. Many people tend to look at it as "Okay Lord, I'll do 95% and you just take care of that remaining 5%...because that's all I can do", but I've begun to realize that all I can really accomplish is something like .01% and God is always doing that 99.99% that I am incapable of. But what is amazing to me is not that he can do all of that for me, but that he actually values my contribution. He can do it all without me, but he asks me for that .01% because he knows that we will be blessed and grow by being a part of what he's doing.
In light of this, we are greatly looking forward to what God will do at Thousand Pines this summer and feel so blessed that he chooses to involve us in his work here. May the name of the Lord be praised in our lives.