Commentary: God works in mysterious ways
Apr. 24, 2006 News media contact: Linda Green * (615) 7425470* Nashville {233}
NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org.
A UMNS Commentary By Erika Usui*
I had acrophobia for 20 years.
But on the first day that I, along with about 50 other volunteers from Colorado and Alaska, started repairing homes on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in late March, I made a foolish mistake that compelled me to face my great fear of heights.
As my pastor asked for volunteers to "shovel off shingles," I, not knowing the first thing about roofing, enthusiastically raised my hand and waved it in the air. Then, I turned to my comrades from the University of Colorado's Wesley Fellowship and told them, "I'm really afraid of heights, so I'd rather shovel shingles than work up on the roof."
Needless to say, everyone got a good laugh out of it.
A bit embarrassed, I began stalking over to my pastor to retract my affirmation to shovel shingles. But something stopped me in my tracks.
Maybe it was that, after having seen the devastation that Hurricane Katrina left for the Moss Point, Miss., residents, I couldn't allow myself to be afraid of such a simple task. The people here had experienced their worst nightmares by having to watch helplessly as their beloved homes and cherished belongings were swept up and reduced to rubble. But they didn't have an "undo" button, as I would have, if I were to tell my pastor that I did not mean what I had said.
So I climbed the ladder.
Was I scared? Of course. Did I cry? Almost. Did I think about climbing back down and saying, "the heck with this"? Many times.
But the Lord had other plans for me that day. Through the hard work ethic and commitment to help others that my fellow student-volunteers showed, I learned to be strong and have faith that I am able to "do all things through Christ who strengthens me." And through the patience and generosity that my mentors showed, I felt calm while I faced great heights and was able to grow significantly as a servant of Christ.
Or, in the words of Pastor Elijah Henry of St. Paul United Methodist Church: "God works in mysterious ways."
Conquering my fear of heights was not the only way in which God worked "mysteriously" during my weeklong stay in Mississippi.
In an unfortunate turn of events, a fellow missionary - Pastor Tom Dahl of Alaska - died while working for the Lord. His accidental death, caused by a fall from a ladder, struck all of us as unreal. We were in a daze, saddened by the sudden loss. "Why?" I thought. "Tom's a good man. Why him, why now?"
Only three days later, during a memorial service, did I understand the significance of Tom's passing. To Moss Point, a city where racism still lives on as tradition in many homes, Tom removed the boundaries set forth by skin color and brought together many people of all shades and stripes to the house of worship to become brothers and sisters in Christ. To all missionaries who serve the needs of others, Tom set an admirable example of how to work selflessly and strenuously as a humble disciple. And to all those who knew him, Tom's time in this world became an ideal model of serving and living for the one and only Messiah.
God does, as Pastor Henry said, work in "mysterious ways." But in the end, he always allows us to see the meaning behind his work, the reason why he has laid out his plans as he has. Though it may not always be clear to us at once, through his grace we will be able to understand, eventually, the blueprint of our lives.
So let us all, as they do at St. Paul's, praise his ways and say, "Amen!"
*Usui is a member of the Wesley Fellowship at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She is a sophomore journalism and major, and may be reached at erika.usui@colorado.edu.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
********************
United Methodist News Service Photos and stories also available at: http://umns.umc.org
----------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe from this group, go to UMCom.org, log in to your account, click on the My Resources link and select the Leave option on the list(s) from which you wish to unsubscribe. If you have problems or questions, please write to websupport@umcom.org.
Powered by United Methodist Communications http://www.UMCom.org