Getting Over the Mid-week Hump.......................by Jim

The roads of Mexico are littered with "topes", which is the Spanish term for speed-bump. I suppose it helps enforce speed limits and safe driving... as long as they are noticed before you're on top of them. I was driving a 15-passenger van this morning and, well, I hit one a little bit too fast. The passengers in the far back of the van went flying into the ceiling; it was not a pleasant experience for any of us, to be sure.

Getting over the hump is seldom easy. The incredible excitement of arriving at Refuge Ranch and jumping into a week of work projects carries us only so far. A few days into the actual work (painting, roofing, tiling, sorting, cleaning, moving, re-arranging, lifting, carrying, wiring, re-building, etc.), the muscles start aching and fatigue starts building. This is the place where we begin to feel spent, both physically and mentally. This is also the place where we are reminded that none of this is possible without the strength of the Almighty God, made alive in us through Christ.

This is not an uncommon phenomenon. It might be a little more obvious to us here on a mountainside in rural Mexico, but it happens back home just as much. When we rely on our own strength, our own adrenaline, our own talents and abilities, we take Christ out of the picture. Our lives become stressed, tired, fatigued. I guess that's one of the greatest gifts that God has for us while on a mission trip- an opportunity to rely on Him more fully than we would otherwise.

As you read this, think of the places in your life- wherever you might be. Are there places where you might be holding on just a bit too tightly? I know that has been true of me this week (my driving, among others). But God is great enough- and loving enough- to open our eyes to these areas in our lives where we need to let go and allow His strength to be made perfect in our weakness. It is my prayer for myself, for all of us here at Refuge Ranch, and for all reading this, that God's strength and love will permeate and overshadow our lives today.