HELLO…
Twenty-Twenty, what a year! I started it off with all the excitement in the world to launch RE:sist, to kick off an organization that I felt could make a difference in the world, and to begin the journey to change the world one man at a time. I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that once RE:sist launched, men would flock to it, that they would want to be involved, and they would not only want to change their lives but those around them. I believed that as an organization we would take off and it would simply be the start of an amazing journey. Yeah, THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN!
I’m sure if I were to ask people to describe their thoughts on 2020 in one word, for the most part they would be pretty consistent and not very pleasant. It’s no secret that last year was a tough one for many people, and COVID, in some way or another, impacted us all in a negative way. Many lost loved ones, many lost their jobs, and many sank into deep depression because they were not able to see friends and loved ones in person. But that’s not what I want to talk about. Instead, I want to talk about what God taught me last year.
Yes, COVID created a very difficult year for all of us, and its impact on the launch of RE:sist hit me like a ton of bricks. Now don’t mistake me sharing my thoughts here as me saying that the impact that COVID had on this organization is any comparison to the loss that many experienced as a result of this horrible virus, because there is no comparison. But for me I quickly found myself becoming depressed, anxious, and mad at God. I basically spent from April to October in that state of mind, not knowing what I should do next. Then God spoke… And He said…
GOODBYE…
No, God didn’t say goodbye as in I’m leaving you, what He told me was that I needed to say goodbye to the mindset that I started 2020 off with, the mindset that put my desires and my timetable ahead of God’s. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe wholeheartedly that what God led me to start with RE:sist is 100% His will, and that hasn’t changed. However, what God needed to teach me last year was that not only is it important to follow God’s will, but it’s equally as important to yield to God’s timetable, and that’s always been a tough thing for me to do, because patience is not a virtue that comes easily for me.
During the time God was teaching me this, I was drawn to Genesis and the story of Joseph, after he was sold into slavery to the Egyptians by his brothers. These events occurred after God had revealed to Joseph in a dream that one day he would rise to power and that the sun, moon, and eleven stars would bow low before him. I kept thinking about the patience Joseph had to have had during the time he was sitting in a prison cell. I know if it had been me, I would have been like, didn’t God just tell me I was going to be ruling these people, yet here I am sitting in prison? Yeah, God’s still working on me!
Eventually God did put Joseph in the position of having great power and responsibility, just as He had revealed to him that he would in his dream many years earlier. But it didn’t happen in Joseph’s timing, it happened in God’s timing, and God used the events in Joseph’s life as they unfolded to set in motion His plan for how Joseph’s life would play out, and that was the lesson I needed to learn last year.
As 2020 started winding down, two additional versus kept speaking into my life. The first was Romans 8:18 where Paul says, “yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.” There was undoubtedly a great deal of suffering for many people last year as Covid impacted many individuals in families, communities, cities and countries throughout the world, and is still impacting many even now that we are officially in 2021. However, for those who believe that Jesus is Lord, the glory that we are promised, no matter the suffering we experience in this life, is far greater than any trials and tribulations that we can ever be presented with in this life.
The other verse that kept speaking to me was Romans 8:28 where Paul states “and we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” The word EVERYTHING is so profound in this passage and as I would read this verse I would just sit and stare at that word and keep thinking about the MANY times in my life, much like he did with Joseph, where he took the hard and difficult times and used them to shape and mold me into what HE needed me to be, in order to do the work through me that He wanted to do, while humbling and teaching me at the same time.
So, with that being said, I’m not even going to pretend to know the reasons why COVID had to come onto the scene and devastate the world in the ways in which it has, but I will offer up this…What do you think God has been trying to teach you during this time? I guarantee you it’s something worthwhile, but are you open to hearing what it is? I know it took me 10 months to be ready, and many days I still fight it. So now that hindsight is officially 2020 (I owe that cleverness to my wife by the way) I feel the need to start from scratch and leave you with this…
HELLO AGAIN…
This is Matt and I’m the Founder and CEO of RE:sist. In this new year we are proud to bring men across the world an organization that’s goal is to positively affect the lives of men and the people in the communities in which they live.
As an organization, we will work diligently to use the tools and resources God provides us with to accomplish what God has set us out to do, however this organization belongs to God, not man, and we will strive daily to exercise the patience needed to work within God’s timetable, not ours.
During the times where things are not moving at the speed in which we think they should, instead of becoming frustrated, aggravated, mad, sad, and the many other feelings that put the attention on what we want instead of what God wants, we will instead strive to follow in the footsteps of Joseph, exercise patience, and ask ourselves, what is God trying to tell us during this time?
As an organization we would like to encourage you to do the same. When situations arise that make you question why God is allowing certain things to happen in the world, or in your life in general, or when life interrupts your timetable, be still, be quiet, and know that He is God and that His timetable is more important than yours.
Be Blessed,
Matt
