God is up to something...

God is up to something. I have no clue what it is but God is up to something. This week I’ve been thinking about how I’ve been barely pulling myself along the journey that God has been taking me on over the last few years. I’ve been praising God that for the first time in years I’ve felt like I can start to get up and walk or at least crawl on the journey. I’ve finally started to experience glimpses of hope that haven’t vanished as quickly as they appeared. And I can’t help but feel like all of this is for a purpose, all of the pain and all of the healing. The last few days as I’ve been praying and talking with God, I feel like he is in the process of preparing me for something. All I know is that I want to stay faithful and be obedient no matter where God takes me or places me.

I’m the type of person that doesn’t like to have people help me. I like to figure it out myself. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned throughout this journey is that God places people in our lives to love and support us. I have one friend who has been telling me over and over again that God is preparing me for something big. Every time he and I grab coffee or talk he tells me this. He always gets so excited when we talk about it and sometimes it drives me nuts. I’m falling apart and he is smiling, just waiting for God to make the move. I always understood what he meant, but now the understanding has moved to my heart and I can feel the same excitement he has.

So what happens now? Like Mark Beeson shared last weekend, you start where you are. Jason said something in a message that will probably stick with me for life. “It is always about being completely obedient right here, right now.” So I figure out what it means to love those around me right now. I pray that God would teach me to see them through his eyes and love them like he does. I learn who they are and how I can serve them. Of course this is much easier said than done.

This weekend Dr. Bob talked about seeing the lost as God does, as a treasure. I loved it and then I started thinking about the people I’m surrounded by. Many of them are the types of Christians that only love people who fit their idea of what a Christian is. They point fingers at all others and boost their own egos by reminding themselves what great Christians they are because they aren’t like everyone else. I’ll just be real honest with you it drives me absolutely insane. I get so angry and upset with how close-minded they are. They have missed the complete picture. Sometimes it is hard for me to love these people and be patient with them. Maybe it is because they are painting my God to be someone they aren’t or maybe it is because they jump down my back because I don’t fit their picture of a Christian.

The first step starts with those around me. Why does it seem so hard to do? I pray that God will give me patience and teach me to love more. And as I press on to love God more and those around me more the rest of the journey will continue to be an adventure.

Lord, even though the circumstances in life may never change, change me. Make me more like Jesus. That is all I ask.