Thursday, March 10, 2011

In the Right Place

A week ago I phoned the Small Groups Pastor at my church and asked if I could help out teaching the next membership class. As in, after attending and observing, maybe next time I could help present the content, to gain speaking experience.

In my long term plan, perhaps someday I could even be a contributing member of the Spiritual Development team. I hoped, but expected little.

By the end of the call, he had given me 30 minutes of the next 90 minute class to speak on Prayer, Bible study, and the importance of Small Groups. I had 5 days to prepare.

Oh, and by the way, all the dreams I have for further discipleship of the many people within the church who are just feeling their way through the Christian life, knowing they need something beyond Sunday morning services or even book discussion groups? I should go ahead and begin to sketch that out, too. Words echoed over the line, You are an answer to prayer.

The exact phrase that went through my head as I ended that call: Feels like drinking from the firehose.

Surprise, sometimes you end up right where you are meant to be.

I have considered my sense of growing into a new phase as a message that my time has come to publish a book. But perhaps I commit my usual sin of leaping in the direction I think God points, instead of walking with him step by step.

Remember Abraham? God made him a promise that he would have as many descendants as stars in the sky. But by the age of 85, ten years after the giving of the promise, Abraham thought he had better give God a hand. So he made a baby with his wife's servant.

That did not work out so well.

God still blessed the child of that union, Ishmael, but To.This.Day the children of that line remain at odds with the children of the promise. That would be all the unrest you hear about in the Middle East.

The child of the promise, Isaac, came when the time was right. After Abraham had celebrated his 100th birthday. When nobody but God could claim to have orchestrated that one.

Book publishing still lies within my sights. But here I see something to give the process greater authenticity. It just so happens that the areas that drive me in discipleship mirror the topics about which I would write. So I called. And God accepted my offer, then gave me more.

It's a small thing, really. Volunteer leadership in my church pays about as well as my blogging, and my job as a mom. But in my heart I feel the resounding YES that leadership in discipleship represents that next phase I felt coming. Writing--better writing--will grow from that.

Really, if I ever publish a book, it will be God's wisdom within its pages. Otherwise I prefer not to write.

Do you sense God leading you right now? Like Abraham trying to fulfill the promise his own way, do you sometimes try to force movement in the direction you think he is leading?

One of the hardest lessons of the Christian life says WAIT.

When we don't know what way to step, I think the obvious step always moves in God's direction. Go back to Scripture, go back to prayer. When He knows the time is right, when only He can receive credit for your growth, then He will move.

And when He does move, you had better step back. Because He is not shy with the firehose.

4 comments:

  1. Powerful words of truth and encouragement. Perfectly fit for my day. Thanks for the reminder :)

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  2. I just read the story of Abraham this afternoon. Don't have my Bible right in front of me, but wasn't it about 13 years between his time with Hagar and when Isaac was finally born? 13 years, but really, 100. Abraham knew a little something about waiting...

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  3. Good for you for taking that step of faith! That is a lesson God has been teaching me, don't move until the cloud moves. I love the fire hose imagery!!! I've been posting about Joseph...until his word came, the word of the Lord tested him! And God used him to deliver an entire nation. Amazing!!!

    God bless!

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  4. Krista,
    I love this! I am not good in the waiting, but my, God has made me wait on this road to publishing. Two years to write the book...two more years just to get an agent...and now more waiting, as the manuscript is in her hands.

    I really needed to read this -- thank you. And congratulations on a BIG step in the right direction. Speaking scares the life out of me -- I think I would have run for the hills before I volunteered to speak to new members! I admire your courage and charisma!

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