I was convicted on Sunday by the message titled True Grit. The scripture and the teaching were aimed right at me. I even teasingly accused Pastor Justin of mind reading.

Gini and I moved to Albuquerque last July. I had worked outside the US in various ministries for 37 years. Gini and I married in 2001, so she was overseas with me for 19 years. So coming back was a real culture shock. We loved what we were doing and God had blessed it.

We also loved coming back to the US and moving to Albuquerque to be close to our children, (Matt & Laura Cobb). Both of us have felt really loved and welcomed by the City Presbyterian Church family. Many of you reached out to us with delicious meals. You made us really at home. We are so grateful for our church family.

I am still working for the same organization called Serge Global. In my role during this one year of transition to working in the US, I have been traveling lots to thank churches and individuals who gave to make our work in other countries possible. Being busy with travel, did not leave much time for thinking through all the changes in life and work that were occurring. Enter COVID-19. I was forced (by my heavenly Father) to be still and have time to process all that has changed.

As corona virus “shelter in place” protocols came in to being and I was forced to slow down, I am realizing that leaving the ministry and work of 37 years has been a kind of death. I had lost the work and career context of most of my adult life. There have been many changes over the years, not just moving back to America. I had many circumstances through the years in many situations, when I had counted on natural ability and grit to get me through. Yet as God would bring bigger and bigger challenges, He was lovingly pushing me more and more to the place where neither grit nor ability were sufficient.

This recent move to New Mexico has put me in that place again. I am so spiritually weak and vulnerable, that I need the Holy Spirit to bring me to the end of myself regularly. I know that Jesus is my all and all. Yet still unwittingly I regularly turn back to my ability or grit to push me through challenges. My heavenly Father loves me enough to keep showing me my inabilities and to point me to His Son again and again. It happened again yesterday (May 10) during our online worship together.

We can always debate which is more important in success or excellence. Is it Natural Ability or Grit (Perseverance/Hard Work)? But changes always with come. My Lord keeps teaching me (and He does not give up) that in it all and always in whatever comes, the calling from the my Abba Father (is again) is to find my identity in Jesus. That is the only secure place! And he always keep being the only secure place for me. The Lord’s gentle (& sometimes not so gentle) pushes are to find my identity in his Son. For me, it is neither in natural ability nor in grit, but falling down and looking to Jesus, day after day. (Secretly, I like to pride myself in both ability and grit.) He shows me the mercy that in whatever circumstance, my need is still the same. Turn and look to my resurrected Savior!

May Christ keep leading us into his peace and presence!

~Dan Herron