Having the Courage to take Risks - Core Value #5

In this post we will dig further into ECM's core values. Your team has been evaluating ECM's core values with the goal of developing specific steps that will guide you in fulfilling the mission and vision of ECM. You will continue to do this as you evaluate the next value.  There are no right or wrong answers. I ask you only to honestly, together with your co-workers, discuss what each value looks like with "flesh" on it.  How can we put each value into practice on a regular basis?  I look forward to your comments as together we grow as a staff.  Here is Core Value #5:

We will have the Courage to take Risks: We will promote a culture of learning, dreaming, developing, and changing.

How can we, as ECM staff, be intentional about having the courage to take risks?  Share your responses/ideas in the comments section on this blog, and discuss with your co-workers!

Confidence

"Do not be afraid or discouraged..., for the battle is not yours, but God's."

2 Chronicles 20:15

Recently, the US office experienced significant upheaval, losing both our finance manager and our child sponsorship coordinator within the span of a few weeks.  Our Ghana office has experienced similar changes in recent months, and our Uganda office is no stranger to staff disruption. (Only our DRC staff has remained fully in tact over the years, for which we are grateful!)

The question is not, "Will change occur?" but "How will we respond when unexpected and unwanted changes come our way?"  Our answer to this question is vitally important to our ministry as we move forward with our God-given mandate to bring hope, help, and dignity to vulnerable children.  We must remember two things first and foremost as we grapple with change:

1. ECM belongs to God, and not to any of us, either individually or collectively.  God has made it clear that the battle is not ours, but his (2 Chronicles 20:15).  We forget this truth far too often, more than we would like and far more than we care to admit.  Each office, each project, each outreach effort, each goal, and most significantly, each accomplishment, belongs to him.  The battle is indeed his. When we face unexpected or even expected hardship, DO NOT FORGET that God is the owner, and we are simply the caretakers.  This is HIS ministry. Can you honestly reflect on any point during the long history of ECM that he did not provide?  Don't fear - he's got this!

1. Second -and this is SO IMPORTANT to remember- God has equipped us for this work, and he strengthens us to handle the tasks and the difficulties that come our way.  Are you willing to put forth the extra effort to get the job done? To go the extra mile? To put in the extra time? To pray consistently and diligently for God's provision?  ECM staff, God has uniquely equipped you for this task.  Trust him!  Move forward with confidence!  I fully believe that we have been specifically chosen "for such a time as this," that each of us is exactly where God wants us do be, and that he will continue to use us to bring the hope of Jesus to those thirsty for life.

What a privilege it is to be a part of God's family, and to serve in such an incredible ministry!  Go forward with CONFIDENCE, despite any obstacles you may face, for God is on our side!

Helping the Hungry

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many

kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

James 1:2-3

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:16

A few nights ago, while waiting to pick up my daughter from a late night school event, I watched a movie called The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.  Set in Malawi in the early 2000's, the movie chronicles the hardships a family experienced during a time of famine.

I couldn't help but think of how most Americans would never be able to understand the depth of the hunger pangs felt by families in the movie.  The kind of pain that causes a person to steal and destroy.  The kind of suffering that that makes a person forget all they ever learned from parents, church, and community about how to treat others.  The aching that brings out our animal nature.

Real hunger is something most Americans never experience.  When their stomachs grumble a little bit, they say, "I'm starving! I really need something to eat NOW!"  Honestly, we have no idea what hunger really is, and we've never been close to starving.

Many of my African brothers and sisters, on the other hand, understand all too well.  They have felt it. They have lived it.  It is, for them as much a part of living as the air we breathe.

All Christians are called to help those in need, and not understanding a person's trial is no excuse for ignoring it.  It is not something we are asked to do, it is something we are required to do.  You see, those going through a trial are called to endure it with joy, and those who see others going through a trial are called to walk with them, helping them to survive and thrive.  It is a beautiful plan laid out by a compassionate, ever present God, to help us overcome the trials of this life (Psalm 46:1).

There are rarely easy answers to the trials we face.  The problem of hunger won't end tomorrow or next month or next year.  Instead, the question becomes, "How do we walk with those who hunger, even when we cannot truly understand what they are going through?"  My desire is to see our ECM staff reach out with empathy and compassion, as we have been commanded, and also with creativity to help people out of poverty and hunger, and toward a happier, more fulfilled life.