So clear, yet so far!
A View From A Parent
Having children is probably the most precious gift a parent would say the Lord has ever given. The hopes and dreams we have for them start from the moment they are born and never end. As we see them grow and discover what their gifts are we look to the future and what we think it may hold for them. For those parents who know God, it is sometimes a struggle to balance wanting what we think is the best for our child and trusting that God knows best.
The story of Kimberly and her 18 year old daughter is one which shares this struggle but also shows how the blessing of God can be so great when we do give over our children to be in the hand of God. Taylor started in September of this year on the Pais Project in Ghana and here are the words of her mother Kimberly as she explains the journey they have both been on…
What My Plan Was
I must honestly admit that I wasn’t very excited when my daughter told me she wanted to join the Pais Project in Ghana. I had expected that after school she would naturally go to the local college and the thought of her moving so far away from me (we live in California) was not a comfortable one. She may be 18 but she will always be my precious child.
I started to pray about it. I had nowhere else to turn other than the Lord and I realized that it was my own selfish desires for wanting Taylor to be near me that I was struggling with the most. It was clear that she should go but I was trying to force my plans on her and not looking to her heart’s desire and most certainly not allowing God’s will in her life. So I decided to give her over to God’s direction.
What Has Touched Me Most
Over the past months I have been so moved by the passion of all those I have gotten to know working on the Pais Project. I can see clearly that God has hand picked each of them to lead people into His Kingdom. The quality of the Pais training skillfully gives them the tools to do this with compassion, integrity and confidence. The more I have come to know Pais and how it works, the more I am convinced there needs to be a Pais team in every school in every nation!
What I Am Learning
The journey that Taylor is on has been such a beautiful gift for me. To watch my daughter grow into a strong and confident woman of faith and boldly declare her faith makes my heart smile. I can see how the experience is molding her and using her to expand His Kingdom as He fills her heart with His love and her head with His knowledge. I am so proud to know she is doing something that will change lives and have eternal footprints. Through all this she is teaching me how to surrender fully to God and abide in the blessings that God promises on a daily basis.
Taylor’s journey of faith in her adult life has only just begun and who knows where it will lead. She is looking to stay for another year in Ghana but where she will be in 5, 10 or 20 years time only God knows!