I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need.
Philippians 4:12
The Apostle Paul was adaptable. That is what he is saying to the Philippians here. He is saying this because being adaptable is vital to being useful to the Lord in the work of the kingdom.
If we are unwilling to adapt, we make ourselves vulnerable to any adverse circumstance. If things don’t go our way we quit, or decide it “wasn’t the Lord,” or whatever other euphemism we use to sugarcoat surrendering to adversity.
Paul’s adaptability meant he could continue his missionary journey even if his supporters were not giving at the level he was used to. It meant God’s plan for planting a network of churches in Asia Minor was less vulnerable to a bad turn of events, whether personal, political, or religious.
Adapt is what we were called to do on Day 2 of our adventure, and it started by thinking through how to survive in Philadelphia and as many as 3 days in Ireland with no fresh clothes or toiletries until our bags found their way to our hotel in Belfast.
Here’s two tips. First, if you ever find yourself stranded on a trip without a fresh pair of “whites,” just turn them inside out, shower up, and step back into them. A note of caution though: this only works once. On the third day you will need a fresh pair of underwear.
When I shared this tip with Ann, she said she had mentioned it to me first, which I don’t remember. It doesn’t matter though. Her Non-disclosure and Intellectual Property Agreement with GSB gives all intellectual property rights to any of her ideas occurring on a GSB excursion to GSB.
Second, if you ever find yourself in a similar situation, everything you need to survive for 3 days in Ireland can be found at Walmart. I had to repent today for every bad thing I ever said about Walmart because in 2 hours time we had found everything we needed for about $100. We have adapted so we can remain on mission.
That mission took us as far as Toronto by the end of the day. Through the good work of the GSB Logistics Division, we were rerouted from Philadelphia to Toronto on Air Canada and then from Toronto to Dublin.
Tomorrow, Ireland. GS