When was the last time you laid down outside and just watched the clouds go by? Does it remind you of when you were outside camping, and all you could see is the true beauty of God's creation without all of the outside distractions that often take our mind off of the word?
Lay it down is a story about a guy you may remember as Tears. This is the second part to his story as he and his wife are joining the mission field in a completely different way and how laying it down became the ultimate choice after many hours of prayer, studying and learning about the next part of their journey together to serve God on the mission field.
Tears and his wife Cindy have been together for 30 years and they now have three children that are now teenagers in high school. The oldest is the little girl who was now 18, the little boy who is now 16, and the youngest is another little girl that just turned 14. Fast forward two months later: Tears and Cindy got a call about an opportunity that will change their lives forever and it involves joining the mission field in another country. So that night over supper the family of five came together and discussed the possibility of leaving the United States to go serve on a mission field in Europe; and as a family they decided that they would pray about it, study God's word and learn more about the opportunity that has been provided. So over the course of the next few months they started praying and asking God for his guidance in making the decision that will forever change the rest of all of their lives living out on the mission field in Europe. A few moths have past and they decided along with God's guidance that they will take that job in Europe on the mission field. Tears and Cindy will be the directors of a children's home and one of their goals will be to teach the children there about God and how he plays a role in their lives and let them know that it will be okay to study His word in this children's home. Their three children will be working in various other areas around the home as well as being mentors to the children at the home and will be helping them with their homework as they start a new bible oriented curriculum and together will help one another to grow and learn together as they study God's word with them.
August came around and the family was getting ready to move to Europe and start their new life at the children's home in the mission field. However before they could leave they wanted to lay down in the grass and just reflect on how different their lives will be. They also decided to read a few verses from the bible that they have thought about during the time while wondering why exactly God was calling them to this particular mission field in Europe and how it would change the lives of everybody involved.
John 15:13 (KJV) Greater love hath no man than this , that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Matthew 16:25 (TNIV) For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Acts 2:44-45 (KJV) And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
Once they got to the mission field in Europe they began working for the Lord right away at the children's home and Tears and his family continued praying, studying and learning the word of GOD as well as helping the children at the home to know that God is always with them and some of the older children were even baptized by Tears, and his two sons as they all continued to speak the word of God, and were willing to lay it down for the opportunity to serve the Lord in a different way, then before: because though Tears was a preacher in the United States, he decided to lay down his life as a preacher and though him and his family were in a different country, Tears became a preacher as well as the director of the children's home on that mission field in Europe and his family showed others what it meant to lay down their life for Christ, by giving up the life they once knew for an opportunity to serve God from a completely different perspective and as a family they all learned that it is better to lay it down, than try to live life according to your own agenda. Cindy also learned some valuable lessons about what it truly means to be a mentor and a teacher for some of those children and as Tears, Cindy and their family were willing to give it all up and lay it down, to serve God on the mission field at the children's home.
A lesson we can take from Tears and his family is that we should be willing to lay our own life down, to serve God. Another lesson we can learn from Tears and his family is that when an opportunity to serve God comes about, we should pray about it fervently, study and ask Him to guide us through the decision and be willing to lay it down for Christ as he has laid down his life for us. We are also told to lay our burdens down, and that is also a part of the concept of laying it down. Are you laying your life down for Jesus and lose your life, to find the life that God has planned for you? Amen.
