One of my beloved seminary professors challenged my discipleship group to embrace two words in regards to our faith: expectant and flexible. We need to expect that God will come through but be flexible on what that might look like. She reminded me of that last week and it fit with a bunch of other stuff God has been tossing my way. Definitely hard to ignore God right now. Keeps getting in my face and whatnot...
In this season of sporadic employment, I've seen the goal as finding a 40 hour/week job with benefits so I canappear to be a responsible adult to all who are judging my every move. I've expected God to provide that. Even as I've searched fruitlessly, God has shown me time and time again that he is Jehovah Jireh, God my provider. He hasn't provided what I've ultimately expected, but he has provided my daily bread as I've searched. I raise an Ebenezer to his faithfulness! But I've come to a point where I'm reevaluating where I go from here.
I need to work on the flexible part. My goal doesn't need to be finding a 40 hour/week job with benefits so that I can be a responsible adult. It needs to be seeking God's purpose for me right now. I don't want to look back in two years and go, "Well, I survived." I want to look back on it and think, "I am so grateful for the opportunities I had in that season. I'm so glad I took advantage of where God put me!" I'm going to need to be flexible for that to happen.
I've been asking God for a job. I've been asking him for money. I've asked him for a place to live. I've asked him to keep my car running. I haven't been asking him what he wants to do in and through me. I think if I'm doing that, the other stuff will follow. "Seek first the kingdom" and all that jazz.
My practical expectations have been getting the best of me. They aren't bad in themselves, but they are getting in the way of my trust in God's promises. Chip Henderson's sermon on Naaman rammed that little nugget of truth uncomfortably into my head with a sledgehammer on Sunday. My control-freak nature flipped the heck out! I want to have expectations and have God come through and fulfill them! That's what my faith is in! I expect and God comes through. My way.
But what about my flexibility? How am I being open to accepting what God has in mind for my life? Yeah, God may drop a great job in my lap. God may drop a crummy job in my lap that pays the bills. But God may also tell me something that goes completely against what I had in mind. He may call me to be flexible. That would require real faith.
Now, a great job may pop up in the next few weeks, but God has brought me to a place where I'm okay if it doesn't. He's challenging me to trust his promises instead of my expectations. With Daric's blessing (actually, he's been telling me to do this for a long time, but I've ignored him like an idiot), I'm going to focus on my calling instead of conforming to what I think I should do right now. God will provide, so why should I be afraid? I am still trying to get into substitute teaching (I can't give up all pragmatism), but I'm going to work on my skills, avenues, and networking as a writer so I can work my way into writing for kids.
I've been getting the expectancy part of faith wrong. I've been expecting God to provide my way instead of his. I haven't wanted to appear irresponsible or flighty or lazy and have allowed that fear to drive me instead of faith in a creative God. He doesn't want me to settle for my expectations. He obviously has other plans. Time to be flexible.
This is totally not normal for me. I like to treat God like the safe lion instead of a good one. But he's not safe. He may take me unsafe places without the security for which I long. He is good, though, and he keeps his promises. I will trust in those instead of in my expectations. Let's see how he provides.
Soli Deo gloria.
In this season of sporadic employment, I've seen the goal as finding a 40 hour/week job with benefits so I can
I need to work on the flexible part. My goal doesn't need to be finding a 40 hour/week job with benefits so that I can be a responsible adult. It needs to be seeking God's purpose for me right now. I don't want to look back in two years and go, "Well, I survived." I want to look back on it and think, "I am so grateful for the opportunities I had in that season. I'm so glad I took advantage of where God put me!" I'm going to need to be flexible for that to happen.
I've been asking God for a job. I've been asking him for money. I've asked him for a place to live. I've asked him to keep my car running. I haven't been asking him what he wants to do in and through me. I think if I'm doing that, the other stuff will follow. "Seek first the kingdom" and all that jazz.
My practical expectations have been getting the best of me. They aren't bad in themselves, but they are getting in the way of my trust in God's promises. Chip Henderson's sermon on Naaman rammed that little nugget of truth uncomfortably into my head with a sledgehammer on Sunday. My control-freak nature flipped the heck out! I want to have expectations and have God come through and fulfill them! That's what my faith is in! I expect and God comes through. My way.
But what about my flexibility? How am I being open to accepting what God has in mind for my life? Yeah, God may drop a great job in my lap. God may drop a crummy job in my lap that pays the bills. But God may also tell me something that goes completely against what I had in mind. He may call me to be flexible. That would require real faith.
Now, a great job may pop up in the next few weeks, but God has brought me to a place where I'm okay if it doesn't. He's challenging me to trust his promises instead of my expectations. With Daric's blessing (actually, he's been telling me to do this for a long time, but I've ignored him like an idiot), I'm going to focus on my calling instead of conforming to what I think I should do right now. God will provide, so why should I be afraid? I am still trying to get into substitute teaching (I can't give up all pragmatism), but I'm going to work on my skills, avenues, and networking as a writer so I can work my way into writing for kids.
- I'm going to get serious about submitting articles and proposals and trying to get assignments.
- I'm going to read with purpose.
- I'm going to try to get back into art.
- I'm going to take extra care of myself so that I can be of use to others.
- I'm going to get out and minister to people without thinking it might get in the way of a potential job.
- I'm going to fight the anxiety and fear in my life by living without regard to my own expectations.
I've been getting the expectancy part of faith wrong. I've been expecting God to provide my way instead of his. I haven't wanted to appear irresponsible or flighty or lazy and have allowed that fear to drive me instead of faith in a creative God. He doesn't want me to settle for my expectations. He obviously has other plans. Time to be flexible.
This is totally not normal for me. I like to treat God like the safe lion instead of a good one. But he's not safe. He may take me unsafe places without the security for which I long. He is good, though, and he keeps his promises. I will trust in those instead of in my expectations. Let's see how he provides.
Soli Deo gloria.
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