Day 31: A Blessing {31 Days of Re-Entry}


For the one who feels grateful and hopeful,
may you rejoice and give thanks for this chapter in your life (Phil. 3:1).

For the one who feels alone,
may you have courage to keep moving forward and to know that God will never leave you or forsake you (Deut. 31:6). 

For the one who feels like a failure,
may you trust that God is the One who accomplishes His purposes and that sometimes we are to wait in faith for Him to bring the harvest (Is. 55:11).

For the one who feels lost,
may you dwell in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the shadow of the Almighty (Ps. 91:1).

For the one who feels uprooted,
may you soon be able to put roots downward and bear fruit upward
(Is. 37:31; Jer. 17:7-8).

For the one who feels powerless and out of control,
may you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus as you walk on the waves (Mat. 14:22-33).

For the one who is leaving under bitter or tragic circumstances,
may God comfort you as a parent comforts their child (Is. 66:13).

For the one who is unsure of the next step,
may God's Word light your path one step at a time (Ps. 119:105).

For the one who is not sure who they are anymore,
may you accept that you are hidden with Christ in God and that you are a child of the King (Col. 3:3; Jn. 1:12-13).

For the one who is burnt out and weary,
may you transfer your burden to Christ and find rest for your soul (Mat. 11:28-30).

For the one who left behind conflict with teammates or nationals,
may you do what you can to have peace, but then leave the conflict at the altar and move on (2 Cor. 2:1-14).

For the one who needs rest, but must keep serving, giving and working,
may you be given strength (Is. 40:28-31).

For the one who has made great sacrifices,
may you receive the joy of knowing that Christ, our broken bread and poured out wine, loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7).

For the one who feels disillusioned, jaded or cynical,
may you find faith even the size of a mustard seed to ask God to help your unbelief (Mat. 17:20; Mk. 9:24).

And for the one who saw miracles, answers to prayer and souls saved,
may you boast in and praise the Lord for all that He has done (Ps. 34:1-3).

May you feel the pleasure and presence of Christ as you walk forward into this next chapter of your life
and experience even more of His fullness and grace. 
Though your place may change, the Person you are planted on never will,
for He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8).

Amen.


~~~~~~

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This post is day 31 of the series "Re-entry: Reflections on Reverse Culture Shock," a challenge I have taken to write for 31 days. Check out my other posts in the series:

Day 1: Introduction
Day 2: Grieving
Day 3: No One Is Special
Day 4: Wasted Gifts
Day 5: I Never Expected...
Day 6: Identity: Through the Looking Glass
Day 7: Did I mishear God?
Day 8: When You Feel Like Shutting Down
Day 9: Caring for your Dorothy
Day 10: You're Not the Only One Who's Changed
Day 11: 12 Race Day Lessons for Serving Overseas
Day 12: Confessions of an Experience Junkie
Day 13: Longing for Home
Day 14: Readjusting: Same Tools, Different Work Space
Day 15: Book Review: The Art of Coming Home
Day 16: The Story of My "Call"
Day 17: Is Missions a "Higher Calling"?
Day 18: And Then I Fell in Love
Day 19: Is God Calling You Overseas?
Day 20: Life Is Not Seasonal
Day 21: What I Took and What I Left Behind
Day 22: Groundless, Weightless, Homeless
Day 23: When the Nations Come to You
Day 24: The Call to Displacement
Day 25: Scripture Anchors for Re-Entry
Day 26: In the Place of Your Exile
Day 27: Resources for Re-entry
Day 28: A Time for Everything: A Prayer of Leaving
Day 29: Journal: 8 Months After Re-Entry
Day 30: 12 Survival Tips for Re-Entry
Day 31: A Blessing
(Day 32: Writing is Narcissistic (And Four Other Reasons Not to Write)--a reflection on this Write 31 Days experience)

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