Introducing
Dan Cochrane
When I was 21, I was single and had a pretty single focus. I believed God was calling me to a life of singleness on the mission field. I had been to PNG and South America, but I felt a leading to Africa. I signed up for a Teen Missions trip to Uganda to see what God might show me regarding this leading.
At our time of training, I had the chance to council a teenager. He was having trouble "deciphering the Holy Spirit". I had very little wisdom to share, so we prayed and decided we would spend the next few weeks being open and willing to do something small, big or even stupid things, if we thought they might be prompted by the Spirit.
About three weeks passed and I found myself in a circle, singing a worship song when I felt a prompt to walk away. I didn't want to. What if I disturbed the moment of worship for others?
My deal with this teenager and God came to mind. So I walked away. I took 10 or 20 steps away and looked up at the stars. It was not audible, but deep inside I clearly heard these words: "IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!"
That was it! I waited a few minutes, asked God for more, and got nothing.
These four words, "it's not about me", stayed with me the rest of my time in Uganda. I meditated on them and the Holy Spirit allowed them to be both the foundation for where He would take me, as well as the wrecking ball to my previous assumption that I would be a single, cross-cultural missionary for life. I was led to a conviction that I was to work with teenagers in Australia, something I had the joy of doing until recently. I was led to meet and eventually marry Amelia.
Today, I still struggle to decipher the Spirit's leading. I still struggle with contentment in my calling to be a father and husband. But I still trust that the God who listens, speaks, and calls us to be part of his salvation plan for humanity.
At our time of training, I had the chance to council a teenager. He was having trouble "deciphering the Holy Spirit". I had very little wisdom to share, so we prayed and decided we would spend the next few weeks being open and willing to do something small, big or even stupid things, if we thought they might be prompted by the Spirit.
About three weeks passed and I found myself in a circle, singing a worship song when I felt a prompt to walk away. I didn't want to. What if I disturbed the moment of worship for others?
My deal with this teenager and God came to mind. So I walked away. I took 10 or 20 steps away and looked up at the stars. It was not audible, but deep inside I clearly heard these words: "IT'S NOT ABOUT ME!"
That was it! I waited a few minutes, asked God for more, and got nothing.
These four words, "it's not about me", stayed with me the rest of my time in Uganda. I meditated on them and the Holy Spirit allowed them to be both the foundation for where He would take me, as well as the wrecking ball to my previous assumption that I would be a single, cross-cultural missionary for life. I was led to a conviction that I was to work with teenagers in Australia, something I had the joy of doing until recently. I was led to meet and eventually marry Amelia.
Today, I still struggle to decipher the Spirit's leading. I still struggle with contentment in my calling to be a father and husband. But I still trust that the God who listens, speaks, and calls us to be part of his salvation plan for humanity.
Posted in Introducing