New Paths
This morning's walk was full of expectation and a feeling of my being presumptuous. We are looking for specific direction in a particular decision, and I was asked to give a response by today. I came to God this morning asking for an immediate answer, but felt that it was not my role to demand a response. I decided to just open my heart & mind to hear whatever was placed there as we walked. As usual, God did not disappoint!
The first and most direct 'thought' was that we cannot pull back (or not move forward) based on what may or may not happen. Our job is to be open to accept the calling, and then get out of the way and follow where He leads. In this situation, there may (or may not) be an additional level of responsibility in the future, but for now it is just a request to support a team. How can we not agree to support the team based on a question that has not been asked? "Follow your own advice" comes to mind...
My other nuggets were related to imagery from the things that I observed. They were not so much direction as metaphors.... First, as we left this morning there was a layer of fog over the grass - maybe 2-3 feet tall. It was enough to obscure direct view... symbolic of the obstruction we are feeling about this current decision. As we came back home the fog was smaller but not completely gone (I was feeling somewhat more clear, but not positive that I know the answer.)
The other nuggets came from watching my four legged children (I always saw God in my children, so why would these girls be any different? I just have to open my eyes and heart to see the message.) We have a path that we follow every morning, and they know the ways to turn, where we sit before crossing the street, etc. They are still distracted by most blades of grass or new smells, but it is familiar and comfortable. This morning we added a new park area to our routine, and the girls were bouncing all over the place, running from side-to-side excited to investigate the new surroundings. The distractions were multiplied and I became frustrated by the lack of focus and ability to move forward down the path. At the end of the circle, we were back on our normal path heading home. Applying that image to our decision tree, we are certain to face distractions, delays and frustration if we accept the new challenge, but as long as we keep our focus on God this is an opportunity to bring an entire new group of people into his fold. As long as we are joining to serve and grow the kingdom (not simply to become leaders) then we are going for the right reason and should move forward. It is important to examine our motivations before making a decision.
We must be careful to not confuse our willingness to use our gifts & talents with being unresponsive to other callings. I do not believe it is wrong to want to share our gifts and talents, and I believe that God raises leaders to whom he gave those gifts to share. There is a very good reason that I enjoy creating websites, facilitating communication and analyzing financials. God gave me these gifts so I can share them, and I should not be made to feel 'stuck' and unwilling to explore new opportunities by my willingness to give what I have. While it is entirely possible that I have gifts that I've not yet discovered, it is not a bad thing that I want to share those I have identified and polished!
The first and most direct 'thought' was that we cannot pull back (or not move forward) based on what may or may not happen. Our job is to be open to accept the calling, and then get out of the way and follow where He leads. In this situation, there may (or may not) be an additional level of responsibility in the future, but for now it is just a request to support a team. How can we not agree to support the team based on a question that has not been asked? "Follow your own advice" comes to mind...
My other nuggets were related to imagery from the things that I observed. They were not so much direction as metaphors.... First, as we left this morning there was a layer of fog over the grass - maybe 2-3 feet tall. It was enough to obscure direct view... symbolic of the obstruction we are feeling about this current decision. As we came back home the fog was smaller but not completely gone (I was feeling somewhat more clear, but not positive that I know the answer.)
The other nuggets came from watching my four legged children (I always saw God in my children, so why would these girls be any different? I just have to open my eyes and heart to see the message.) We have a path that we follow every morning, and they know the ways to turn, where we sit before crossing the street, etc. They are still distracted by most blades of grass or new smells, but it is familiar and comfortable. This morning we added a new park area to our routine, and the girls were bouncing all over the place, running from side-to-side excited to investigate the new surroundings. The distractions were multiplied and I became frustrated by the lack of focus and ability to move forward down the path. At the end of the circle, we were back on our normal path heading home. Applying that image to our decision tree, we are certain to face distractions, delays and frustration if we accept the new challenge, but as long as we keep our focus on God this is an opportunity to bring an entire new group of people into his fold. As long as we are joining to serve and grow the kingdom (not simply to become leaders) then we are going for the right reason and should move forward. It is important to examine our motivations before making a decision.
We must be careful to not confuse our willingness to use our gifts & talents with being unresponsive to other callings. I do not believe it is wrong to want to share our gifts and talents, and I believe that God raises leaders to whom he gave those gifts to share. There is a very good reason that I enjoy creating websites, facilitating communication and analyzing financials. God gave me these gifts so I can share them, and I should not be made to feel 'stuck' and unwilling to explore new opportunities by my willingness to give what I have. While it is entirely possible that I have gifts that I've not yet discovered, it is not a bad thing that I want to share those I have identified and polished!
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