Bending with the bamboo

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not,

As Thou has been, Thou forever wilt be.

Two thousand thirteen is behind us and we embark on a new year.   I’m sure that in 2013 most of us experienced a lot of things we never could have anticipated.  Unexpected joys, sorrows, and changes have been a part of each of our lives.  This reminds me of a Chinese expression I recently learned, 变 biàn, for which one meaning is, “bending with the bamboo”, and essentially means that a person needs to both anticipate and adapt to changing circumstances as they happen.  As many people in China have commented, “Plans can’t keep up with changes.”  Life does change, sometimes slowly and sometimes in a moment, and we can neither anticipate nor protect ourselves from it.  Whether life’s changes are things that delight us or things that grieve us, we have a hope in the One who does not change.  He has been, He is, He will be, faithful.  As He has been, He forever will be.  As someone whose days are like grass, it’s such an incredible thing to be able to trust in the One who never changes, and whose faithfulness is a constant amidst it all.

His faithfulness has been beautifully evident here in China.  I am humbled by the way He has blessed what's happening here and the way He is present on this campus.  The things that have happened in this semester have much surpassed my expectations.  It’s incredible to me the way the One we serve is able to work through our small steps of faith and our feeble efforts for His glory.  He’s working on a lot of levels in some pretty exciting ways such as allowing me to build great relationships with my students.  From baking in my home, to shopping, to sharing meals together, to attending student performances, to hosting a Christmas party, I feel like these students are my friends.  He’s been opening doors to great relationships and conversations.  

In John 3:35 the Son says, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for the harvest.”  Each one of us has a field of so much opportunity.  As we are obedient to sow and reap, may we have such a joy in the expectant hope of what He will do.