It's Okay to Have Doubts

There are sometimes things I cannot explain about my faith.

There are verses I do not understand and situations that baffle me.

There are times that I wonder why something happened the way it did.

I try to research & delve more deeply, but sometimes, I just can't reach a point of understanding. 

It's okay.

It's okay to have doubts.

It's okay to have questions.

It's even okay to share them with God.

If I could explain everything about God, I would have a limited god.

Questions are a method of growing.

It's alright to have uncertainty, even in your faith.

A Snapshot of Gentry Life in Costa Rica: Fourth Quarter

Our last quarter in Costa Rica flew by...and we've been back in the States for almost two months already...so I figured that I should post some pictures of our last quarter in Costa Rica.

We are an international group at SENDAS. Liz became friends with an Italian professor who was here teaching Spanish

Yeah, I love this guy

My mother-in-law & parents visited us in Costa Rica!!

We saw the beach together

It's easy to see the beauty of God's creation in Costa Rica.

We got to show our parents our world

We took our parents to our English class(es)

Our off-campus English Class

We showed them the sights

We held toucans!!

It was wonderful to spend quality time with our folks!

We showed them waterfalls.

One night we shared our testimonies at a local youth group, right after a guitar lesson.

Samples of Costa Rican money 10,000=$20 (top right), 5 mil (5,000)=$10 (top left), 2000=$4 (bottom right), 1000=$2 (bottom left)

Luke's video conferencing equipment

Our church prayed for us before we left

Sometimes Spanish class & cooking class aren't different classes

Luke taught an advanced English class

Here we are with our 3 Spanish professors.

Spanish Professors, Spanish Students, Spanish Program Director

We said goodbye to our friends/co-workers at SENDAS

Submitting to Your Husband...When He has a Different Plan

Sometimes, I think I'm epic at submitting to my husband. I follow his lead without a second thought. I don't fight back, manipulate, or hold onto my way.

Other times, my husband has a different plan than mine and suddenly I don't want to submit any more.
I have my own plan. I think my way is superior.
Suddenly, it's a real struggle for me.
Will I insist on my own way?
Will I submit to his way?
Will I submit gracefully or resisting every step?

The other day, we were walking back home together. I wanted a taxi, but he wanted to walk, so I submitted and we started walking. But then he wanted to take a new route to get to our back gate; I wanted to continue to the front gate, because I knew the way there. Suddenly I had a choice. I could submit without complaining, I could rebel, or I could follow while complaining & hope for failure. We did find our way to the back gate. I may have complained a bit, but I did my best to submit.

"Submission" is easy when my husband is asking for what I want to do anyway. It's no challenge because he's asking for what I was planning on doing before he shared his plan. As long as my husband does what I was planning on doing anyway, I don't know how well or gracefully I submit.

Submission is real and it's hard when I have my own way I want to do things. It's a choice that I need to make. It involves swallowing complaints & judgments. It involves trusting his decisions & not gloating if things don't work out. It involves encouraging him as my leader, as my head of the household. It involves being a trooper when tired & not throwing his decision back in his face.

Submission requires effort when I would have done things differently. Submission requires sacrifice.