The following post is from a GenJ mom who tells of how she felt led by the Lord to become a parent sponsor of a local GenJ Club. The views expressed in this post are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Generation Joshua or GenJ affiliates.
“Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, ‘Here am I; send me’.” - Isaiah 6:8
By Teri Barela
At the beginning of the year, I went to Franklin Graham’s Decision America Tour prayer meeting for my state. He challenged everyone to get involved with our school boards, our city councils, the house and the senate, and do what we can to support Christians in service to our nation. This had been the reoccurring message to me from the Lord.
But what could I do for the Lord?
I was just a homeschool mom - and a busy one at that. I didn’t have time to run for office or sit in city council, so what did the Lord want me to do?
So I simply said, “Here I am Lord, send me” …. and thus began a journey of prayer and contemplation. In my quiet time the word of the Lord spoke clearly; Psalm 34:11 "Come, you children, listen to me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD."
My eyes were opened: I could do what I was already doing! Teach. I wanted to raise my own children with a biblical worldview. A knowledge of the word of God and an understanding of why God says “do this or don’t do that.” I wanted my children to understand the amazing Christian heritage we have and the blessings this nation has had because of the biblical basis for freedom and self-governance. I especially wanted them to go out unto all the world and preach the gospel.
Starting a GenJ Club was the natural thing to do!
No sooner did I feel this calling to start a club, but things became complicated: Where to meet? What time and on what day? I also knew the homeschool community was stretched out well beyond the city center, and I wanted to make it accessible to many of the homeschool families. How do I do that?
The enemy also worked on me; "you can’t do this- you’ll make a mess of things;" "things are not working smoothly, clearly that means you should not do this," and so on. But God is faithful. The Lord brought to mind the story of Hezekiah in the Bible, when he was taunted by Sennacherib, he put his fears before the Lord, and said, in essence, ‘Lord you deal with this – it’s all about you anyhow!’
I laid out my fears and concerns before the Lord, and no sooner had I done this but He brought to my mind a friend who’s church was located in the city’s center. The time that worked for most families was available! And just like that--we were set. Everyone I called to speak at our meetings were more than happy to speak to our group and excited about GenJ.
Even so, doubts still persisted. Can I do this? Should I even be involved in politics as a Christian? What does the bible say about governmental affairs? It seems impossible to change the course of our Nation--I am just one person. It is so easy to feel overwhelmed with the happenings of the day, but again the Lord provided an answer. A local church was holding a two-day presentation where they had a well known guest speaker.
He had read from the book of Nehemiah and told the story of the Israelites who came together to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after being exiled. Each person and family had a section of the wall to build. I began to see that we can do something. We can all "build our wall." The wall that I'm tasked to build might be different from that of my neighbor, but we can each do our part and God uses all of that together to accomplish His will.
We can get involved and make a difference where we are. It does not take a large number of people to change things - just a willing few. Only 8% of the people living in the 13 colonies at the time of the Revolutionary War were responsible for the creation of the republic we know today! God chose twelve disciples to changed the whole world! These things encouraged me press on toward the goal. (Phil. 3:14)
So now it is my turn to charge you:
Will you say, “Here I am, send me”?
Will you join a GenJ Club? Pray about where the Lord would use you. Can you start a GenJ Club? Can you minister to those around you and make a difference? Will you build your wall? Will you be a part of that 8% that can change the world?
I’m reminded of the words of President Abraham Lincoln, “Without the assistance of that Divine Being… I cannot succeed. With that assistance…I cannot fail!”