Even if you have so-called brothers and sisters in Christ opposing you, do what God has called you to do. Opposition when you have been given a calling is very real. I have experienced it many times. I won't be naming anyone in this. Sometimes "well-meaning" friends and family open their mouths and speak when they really should shut up and listen.
I had much opposition when I was 22 years old and moved to Mexico. I understood why some might be afraid for my safety, but I was without doubt that this was something God had put into my heart to do. I had faith that He could and would keep me safe, but also that if I got raped or killed, He would use those bad experiences for good because that's how He works sometimes. All things work together for good to those who are called.
It is not pride that made me think I had a calling. I think everyone does. Mexico for me was not always easy. I was surrounded by hurting children. I was young and I was the only blue-eyed person in the village where I lived. I stood out. In the beginning, I was not well received by the people in town. But I won them over by the end. The women loved me because I purposefully went to them and humbly asked them to teach me how to make tortillas and tamales. The men were won over by my befriending their wives and not being haughty. The kids were easy to win.
But at home in Texas, I had people who loved me oppose me. I had people try to talk me out of it and even tell me that I hadn't heard from God at all. They had every right to be wrong, I guess. It hurt me that instead of telling me they were pleased in me for making this very difficult decision to leave my home and go off alone to another country to serve God, they "scolded" me and warned me of the bad things that could happen to me. One person went as low as to say, "you have really let yourself go as a missionary and don't even wear makeup anymore." What on earth?
I took the opposition with me in my heart as a crushing blow. Then I realized that the people in this foreign land started loving me more than some people at home. They accepted me.
My dad was one of the people who believed in what I was doing (even though there were some people who tried to convince me that he was against it). He even began raising cattle to donate food to the children's home where I lived and beyond. And through my two years of doing this, one of his own wise counsels came true for me - I became proficient in the Spanish language.
My experience in Mexico was hard, but it was exactly the right thing for me to do. It gave me opportunities later in life that I wouldn't have otherwise had. Knowing Spanish and being able to tell people here that I lived in Mexico has given me many opportunities to share God's love with Hispanic people in the States.
I learned a long time ago to do the right thing, the thing God has called me to do no matter what. It is a shame that Christians oppose each other so often. A lot of that comes from not really shutting our mouths and listening. We rush to judgment. We rashly open our mouths and give our opinions when really we should close our mouths. Pray WITH and FOR a person when they have shared with you a vision from God, a calling. When I had friends and family who had other visions for my life, I had to decide not to care about their opinions. Sadly, many of these folks have never been given the joyful experience of letting me show them photos or tell them stories that might bless their hearts because they hate Mexico and to this day, do not approve of what I did. Imagine that! They don't approve? None of their business what God calls someone else to do! They need to hear from the Lord about what they are supposed to do and then pray for me as I follow God's call.
If God tells me to start a publishing company for childhood cancer, instead of worrying that I'll fail and instead of questioning how on earth I'll be able to pull that off, listen to what I just told you and say, "I'll pray for God to bless you as you obey Him in this." Then pray. Don't judge. Don't gossip about me. Instead, tell me that you are so pleased that I am listening to Him and obeying Him. Hug me. Celebrate with me just like I would celebrate with you and encourage you when you obey His calling on your life.
Know when to speak. Know when to shut up. There is a time for both. If I come to you and say, "I feel like God is calling me to this or that", say that you will pray with me. If I say, "I need or want your counsel or advice", pray first and then give me what the Holy Spirit has advised.
But if I come to you after much prayer and tell you that God has called me to something, that is not an opportunity for you to speak, to advise. I never have gone out on my own to do anything without seeking counsel from the ones I trust. My decisions come after hearing from God and seeking wise counsel. That happened with Mexico and that happened with being a teacher and being a wife and all the nonprofit work and Bell Asteri.
My children are adults. They are not married yet. When they have made big decisions, they have turned to their dad and me for wise counsel. Because I know what it's like to have opinionated people not support me, I have learned to pray with and for my kids. When they tell me they have a call on their lives, I especially pray with and for them. And I am sure to tell them that I am well pleased in them for seeking God and following His call. If it means some day being a missionary in a scary place, so be it. Don't worry about your safety if God tells you to do something. Obey Him.
Daniel obeyed. He flat out knew that if he prayed in front of that open window he would be thrown into the lion's den. But he did it anyway. God chose to shut up the lions' mouths and keep him safe.
DO THE RIGHT THING. NO MATTER WHAT.
