He's an On Time God...

The reality of the ins and outs of what this move to France will take has come to the fore as we've been encountering daily life here in Lyon for this vision trip:

• Learning the language to a level that we can truly communicate (rather than just saying bon jour, bonsoir, au revoir, pardon, où sont les toilettes?, and merci)
• Choosing the right place to send the kids to school, and the ramifications on their long-term education that each choice means (total French immersion?  English only?  A combination?  Not to mention the expense of each of those choices and the reality that there are no organized sports or music options through those schools)
• Understanding the cultural practices well enough that we don't constantly walk around in one big offensive way 
• Dealing with the fact that we will be living in a very expensive city with extremely limited means
• Learning to live in an apartment again after almost 20 years of spacious home ownership
• Metro (subway)/bus/train travel around the city
• Being 'fit' enough to walk very long distances
• Leaving our pets behind (two yippy maltese won't win friends in close quarters)
• Learning how to live where everything is small--cups, beds, bathrooms, cars, portions
• Selling our accumulated belongings
• Being away from family and friends

It's such a long list, and by just taking 10 minutes to list them all, it might seem like we're living more in the human side of the equation than in the supplied grace that we'll need to sustain this calling. It reminds me of the story that I heard many years ago about the conversation that Corrie Ten Boom had with her father when she was concerned about her ability to live out her Christian faith in the midst of great trials:

     “When I was a little girl,” I said, “I went to my father and said, ‘Daddy, I am afraid that I will never be strong enough to be a martyr for Jesus Christ.’”
     “Tell me,” said Father, “When you take a train trip to Amsterdam, when do I give you the money for the ticket? Three weeks before?”
     “No, Daddy, you give me the money for the ticket just before we get on the train.”
     “That is right,” my father said, “and so it is with God’s strength. Our Father in Heaven knows when you will need the strength to be a martyr for Jesus Christ. He will supply all you need — just in time....”

So, we rest in the fact that we know that we are called to France to join Him in the work that He is doing to bring people into a worshiping relationship with Him.  We rest in the fact that it is only He who can give us all the strength and grace that we need--just in time!  We rest in the fact that He is an On Time God!