Shakin' in my sandals

My biggest issue living in Liberia during this Ebola crisis hasn’t been so much the threat of the illness. I don't think I'm really even afraid of death. That's another posting:)

Lesson #2: Living in a crisis situation is the ULTIMATE leadership challenge.

It’s the leadership I have to take in many areas that gives me shivers. It's really got me shakin' in my sandals.

At work I’m acting Education Team Leader working with a team to manage over $100 million in aid to the education sector in Liberia while representing the USAID Liberia mission in education. In the education sector I serve as the coordinating agency leading other agencies in coordinating education development efforts with the Ministry of Education of Liberia. Wow. Even as I write these words I get the sense that I’ve overwhelmed by it because that’s not what I’m supposed to do.

True confessions: I remember when I inherited a life group at Capital City Church around 2011 or 2012, I thought it was too much too soon. I felt like I hadn’t been groomed enough, mentored enough or mature enough. I just didn’t feel like I was fit for the position. Then the Lord gave me the revelation that it’s His group. He positioned me to be a facilitator of what He wants to do. Man did that take the load off. Once I saw myself as a facilitator, nothing was impossible. No perceived insufficiency on my part could hinder what He wanted to do.

So I feel Him comforting me with the same truth. While the position in the world’s eye is leadership, in God’s eyes, I’m still merely a facilitator of what He wants to do. And there is much to do.

Please join me in praying/declaring that:

1. God releases his wisdom to leaders in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone to make decisions that set the nations up for QUICK recovery once the crisis is over. 
2. I receive and act on a clear revelation of what He’s doing through my position.

"What, Ebola? It's not airborne, you know!"

As my Liberian colleagues say, "This Ebola business is serious." It was so quiet and distant when I first arrived but has transformed and impacted every aspect of life from buying groceries to greetings to entertainment. Living in Liberia during what may be the worst viral outbreak in recent history has been an eye-opening experience.

Yet, as a believer in the habit of reaching to God for answers and clarity in the cloudy situations that life brings, there is much to learn. Over the next few weeks, perhaps even months I’ll share those lessons. Actually, it may take a lifetime:)

Lesson #1: Fear is the worst attack known man.

People literally don't want to leave their homes for fear of somehow running into and exchanging body fluids with someone who has the virus. Yesterday I proposed taking a walk around the neighborhood to a friend. I could almost see the fear creeping into her eyes. She said “Sure, but let’s stay on the compound, I just don’t feel comfortable. I just don’t feel comfortable walking around. “ I responded, perhaps a bit too flippantly “What, Ebola? It’s not airborne, you know!” It’s been a hard battle between taking necessary precautions and avoiding paranoia.

The verse about how God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and sound mind has taken on an entirely new meaning (II Timothy 1:7). Its amazing the things God challenges us in in the toughest situations. He's says to me almost on a daily basis now "No, dearest, there is absolutely no room for fear, even in the most justifiable, fear-inducing situation. Likewise, there is no room for worry (Phillipians 4:6-7), even when all the signs point to the likelihood that you're at the threshold of the worst case scenario." He is really awesome and His word is coming to life in new and fresh ways.

A reflection on courage:

If there's no teacher like the school of life, there's no principal like the Author of Life. The Lord (en)courages me that in the face of fear, His courage is there, ready to rise up and undergird me.