Happy belated 4th of July! I know...REALLY late. Oh well, I'm over it. The holiday was fun this year. I was able to visit my cousins who live in Arvada, CO and we had a big barbecue with the rest of the family and all the baby cousins. My cousins live on a hill overlooking a huge outdoor softball complex that hosts fireworks every Independence Day. Because of the location of their house, we have one of the best professional fireworks viewing seats every year. Truly a treat.
Today my friends Nick and Geebee Hanson (and of course Chobi!) came through Denver on their way out to CA and stopped for a visit. We went to Red Rocks Amphitheatre and ate at Noodles & Company. Good times for sure. I miss those two (Nick and GB, not Red Rocks and Noodles...) and it was really good to see them and catch up a little bit. That, and the visit to uuu-game-uu-stohp-uuu. :) In all it was great to see some familiar faces!
At dinner I shared a few thoughts with Nick and Geebee. I've been doing a lot of Bible reading and delving deeper into my faith now that I have a little more time outside of school. It's been eye-opening in so many ways. One of my prayers every day is for wisdom...Wisdom to make the right decisions in accordance with God's will, wisdom to discern, really, just WISDOM. And I've learned the power of prayer especially in this position because God has decided to freely give it upon my asking (like he always promises) and it has been life-changing.
Many of you know (some may not) that I have recently procured a job out here in Colorado. This job was a total "out-of-the-blue" happening, but the committee liked me, it's a great church, and it's close to home. I had my heart set on remaining in California, at least for a little while, but God in his wisdom said no. At first I didn't understand why I had received this answer. Surely God wants me to be happy and will give me the desires of my heart as I seek him more each day....
According to his will. It's easy to forget that caveat...
One of the most beautifully simple things about God's wisdom is that he has already given us a great deal of it in Christ. I've been reading the gospel of Luke recently and came across some of the wisdom for which I had been asking. Luke 9:57-62 talks about the cost of following Jesus. One man approaches saying that he'll follow Jesus wherever he goes, and Jesus replies that even the Son has no place to lay his head. Another man says he'll follow but wants to bury his dead father before he leaves. Jesus tells him to "let the dead bury their own dead" and "you, go and procalim the kingdom of God." Finally, the last man says that he'll follow but wants to go and say goodbye to his loved ones back home. Jesus says, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." This hit me like a ton of bricks. I am the last man in this story. I had so desperately wanted a job in southern CA and realized that it was mainly for selfish reasons. God in his infinite wisdom knew that I would be "looking back" if I were to stay in SoCal. I wouldn't be looking at home here in CO, but at Concordia, the place I've called "home" for the last four years. I wanted to say my goodbye without truly having to. My ministry would have suffered because it would have not been whole-hearted with the distraction of "home" just down the freeway.
God is making me fit for his kingdom, preparing me to share his word, and sending me out to his people. I was standing in the way of this process. Surely I couldn't be ready and God would know that. Well, God knows EVERYTHING...quite a great deal more than I, really. Therefore he MUST know the goings on of my unsettled heart and also what's BEST for not only me, but HIS PURPOSE. It's so easy to stand in the way and let God take the reigns for direction in my life, but I'm learning...
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