Surprised!

Tonight my parents surprised me! Just when I thought I just about had them figured out and started to trust my assessment of them…they go and change on my in ways I never dreamt possible. How?

Well my decision to go in to service ministry was met with let just say suspicion. For years I tried to explain and they tried to convey their disbelief and shock. Secretly they must have hoped that I would smell the coffee, wake up from this Christian haze I had to be under, and live the life they pre-charted for me post-conception. I did my best to understand their desire to see me with a future filed with security and a deep knowing that I would be okay on my own and eventually find happiness that comes from a job well done. But my innate cynicism would not settle for the road much travelled or the safe bet, I am a risk-taker who places her bets on a shaky commodity (you know people).

So you can see how we missed each others for years, but our love or stubbornness (my money is on the later) kept us coming back to the bargaining table even if it meant leaving in tears ad new found heartache. When I returned home last year to visit my dad, while they were diagnosing him with Parkinson's, we finally were able to see each other clearly without relinquishing our desired outcomes. We arrived at a compromise; I will passionately pursue what brings me joy and they will support my seeking that joy even if they disagree with my methods. After all is it not what every parent wants to see their child content and don't we all long for our parent's approval? That was a defining moment in our relationship. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief and open more of my life to them. For the first time I could share my struggles and questions along with the triumphs without feeling I was revealing my soft vulnerable underbelly.

The past year has been wonderful and I have felt supported. I thought that was where we would plateau because we had climbed out from the a pit so deep that no one thought we would survive, let alone be at a place of mutual respect and understanding. So tonight took me by surprise, but in a way I feel it should not have because God, in my experience, never settles for the plateau. He tends to aim for Everest as a starting point and moves on from there.

So my parents are funding my relocation to London! All the boxes of my personal effect will arrive in the UK in a few months courtesy of mom and dad. And they asked me if they could help with this – they actually anticipated a need and offered to fulfil it before it was spoken. For those of you who have watched me relationship with my folks as missions took hold of my life, you know that this is something to celebrate and relish. Thanks you to all the prayer warriors and supporters out there who are fighting on our behalf. You never gave up and neither did God.

I am pleasantly surprise, hope-filled and happy to cherish this moment and share it with you. I look forward to the rest of the climb.