challenging assumptions
Do not be afraid of tomorrow; for God is already there.Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in. (Alan Alda) Don't we all at times anticipate potential problems and difficulties? They are often hypothetical and the likelihood of them happening might be small. And yet we still feel that they are very real and our assumptions about what might possibly happen change how we live our lives. Tanea is a Christian student at a Moldovan University. When she first arrived at university, she decided not to live in the student dormitory for several reasons. She thought life in the university residence hall would be hard - that it would be impossible to study well there and that there would be heavy pressure from non‐Christian students to conform to their lifestyle. However, as she began her senior year at university, she changed her mind and took a room in the dorms. Tanea says this was her best academic year ever! Living in the residence hall helped her to draw closer to her classmates. She also built new relationships with her roommates as she strove to be an example to them through her Christian life. Soon the girls decided to read the Bible every evening and they began participating in youth meetings at a local church. This change in Tanea's life and in the lives of those around her happened because she overcame a barrier in her life. For her, the barrier was prejudice and fear. Through the help of the prayer group at her university and through Bible studies with other students, the Lord changed her preconceptions about life in the dorms, and about her classmates and her ability to be closer to them. Praise God for his work in Tanea's life and for opening her eyes to see the needs around her. Give thanks for her new friends with whom she has been able to share her life as a Christian. Please pray for the girls who were in her dorm to come to Jesus and pray for the Lord to continue opening doors in Moldovan universities. As we think of the work amongst students there, let us pray too for Moldova, a landlocked country between Ukraine, Romania and Russia. Last year, the country suffered political unrest in the aftermath of the elections and students were at the forefront of the demonstrations. Pray for peace in that land so that the gospel may continue to be openly shared and received. Comment: Consider the following: Do not be afraid of tomorrow; for God is already there. (Author Unknown) "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11) What are the unknowns that trouble you? How do you overcome your worry? What assumptions about people and life might God be challenging in your life?
