The past couple of weeks I have been hearing people say to me? "So, you like your job? I thought you were going to the mission field?" OR "So you like living in Florida? Like your new job? I thought you were going to work on becoming a Doula?" The list goes on. I began to reflect and pray about where my life is and where my life is going. Or rather, where I think/thought my life was going. At first I shared with several people that my job was more of a means to an end. That I had other plans and this would suffice in the interim. Now let me just pause here and say this. When I first got this job working for Chick-fil-A, I needed a job. I needed to find work to stay afloat. I liked the atmosphere of Chick-fil- A and I liked the values that the company maintained. At no time in my wildest dreams did I believe I would be GOOD at this job. I had no idea I would end up completely falling in love with the brand, the store, my coworkers etc. I had no clue that after my short hiatus to Iowa that I would come back to this job, be promoted, have ideas, lead others, the list goes on.
As I continued on with life in Florida, I got to thinking: None of this is really "in the plan" but things are going well. The Lord is blessing me. I started to get excited about the fact that debt was going to get paid faster and life seemed to have a sense of peace! This must be my stepping stone before I move on to the next thing....
Well... funny how God works sometimes. Funny how he gets your attention when you're least expecting it. (We should probably always be expectant of the Lord ... my bad!) As I was journaling one day God brought to my mind a scripture He had given me awhile back! Isaiah 55:5. The scripture I was sure was my confirmation that I was going to the foreign mission field.
“Behold, you will call a nation you do not know,
And a nation which knows you not will run to you,
Because of the Lord your God, even the Holy One of Israel;
For He has glorified you.”
I have had other confirmations along the way with words of wisdom and edification and prophecy about a people group only I can reach, about a platform I will operate from. Of course that means missions, RIGHT?!?!! As I was journaling and reading and meditating on the scripture again, I really felt the Lord say, "Did you ever ask what My interpretation was?" "Did you bother to seek Me?" I realized in that moment the extent I had gone and effort I had placed in chasing a dream I thought was God given. In seeking a life I thought the Lord was laying the foundation for. This was a moment that put a twinge of panic in my heart. God began to show me why certain things hadn't worked out for me over the last year or so. Why my Doula trainings and births didn't pan out, why I wasn't meant to stay in Sioux City. I began to realize that I had taken these words, dreams, visions, and essentially SNIPPETS of what God was saying and I was running with them. I was acting before praying. I was making plans without a blueprint.
God had given me that scripture, He had given me a dream, He had put those things on my heart. That wasn't the issue. When I then stopped to listen, I understood that my interpretation is not always God's and that by not listening and not waiting I was limiting myself and the Lord.
Now, does this mean I'm supposed to scrap ALL previous plans of action, all hopes and dreams? No. But what the Lord did impress on me was broadening my perspective. Thinking outside the box. I may still very well leave the country, but it may not be permanently. I may still go to the mission field but it might be 5 years from now. I may very well operate as a Doula, but a Spiritual one... there are endless possibilities and my job is to spend time every day with the Lord. To know Him and make Him known. So until He hands down the Marching Orders, I will wait and be obedient in the here and now. I will reach those only I can reach where I'm at now, I will assist others to birth ideas, to hold their hand, and bring life into the world, whatever that may look like. I have opportunities all around me every day to reach out, to be the hands and feet of Christ, but if I'm focused on where I'm going next and what God might want me to do next year, I'll miss those who are in front of me right now, TODAY!
Joshua 1:9
New Living Translation (NLT)
9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Listen for the still small voice... then wait for the translation, interpretation, and instruction!
Go get 'em!!
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