This post has nothing to do with the rock band, but I couldn't resist making the homage to classic rock. That being said, this post does relate to guns and how God works in our lives, bearing new fruit in unexpected ways.
On December 2 of this month, people were shot by Muslim extremists while attending a company holiday party. I was sitting with a family when these events took place who had been to the center before, and they were beyond shocked- who would shoot at a facility that helps people with special needs? This shooting struck a tone of worry for me, both for how Muslims will be treated as a result of the actions of a few in the US, and for the people's response as a result to the kind of work that I am going into. The terror inflicted hit close to home for my community as a whole.
On December 3, my parents threw me a party, and my father invited his prayer partners to come and hear about what I am going to be doing. It went tremendously well- great response from the people, and it led to so many great conversations, even with a twelve-year-old boy who felt the call to go into cross-cultural ministry! The evening built a bridge for me and my family in our processing my upcoming departure, and I was encouraged by their response.
God, however, is not a one-sided God. Though that day He showed himself strong and obviously to me, God was doing work underneath the surface for the people that I was involved with.
My father told me a few days ago about one of his friends who had attended the party with the family. He was a nice, gentle and quiet guy with a sweet wife and children, but I did not expect for my dad to tell me that he was an avid gun collector and retailer. I don't know what my perception of gun advocates had been before that time (maybe God was calling my prejudice into light), but I knew that I did not expect him. My father had seen him in town, and told me that they were going to join my support team! I was over the moon, but he wasn't finished. My dad told me that after the shooting in San Bernadino, this family was ready to invest a large sum of money into weaponry, for their family's safety and security, and for the security of those around them. However, after hearing about what I was going to be doing and who I was going to be ministering to, they decided to invest the money that they would spend on arms in cross-cultural ministry to Muslims. They felt led to invest in spiritual security rather than the physical. Praise God for his response from the people who love him!
This struck a chord in my heart, and I was tremendously encouraged. Though I am going to a difficult part of the world, there is JUST as kingdom work to be done here in the US. God has the power to transform lives, and that truth accounts for every one of us, and is open to anyone: whether coming from a Muslim, Buddhist or Seikh background! The perception that people have of Muslims here in the US breaks my heart, and I struggle with that when I talk to people about my future work (mental me: "How are they going to respond? Will I have a friend after this discussion?"). God desires to see our fears transformed into deeply profound faith and trust in Him. The US is currently a nation that is grappling with a fear of terror that it does not fully understand or know how to respond to. But I believe that God has a plan for transforming that fear into faith, and it is coming in small steps, through a family that has changed their response to fear.
Our security rests in Christ, and we are called to act in response to Him, not as a result of our own security. For me, that means sacrificing my time, and serving cross-culturally on the other side of the world. What does that mean for you?