10 Aug, 2011
Fork In The Road...
I moved this week.
In my exhausted, delirious haze, I reflect on all God has taught me in the process.
It was really one of those "fork in the road" kind of situations. Move far away or stay nearby?
God, what are you asking? Where are you leading?
I was sure He was leading me to move far away, to a new job, a new city, a new town.
But no.
That door closed.
So, what now?
What do I make of this?
but the Lord determines our steps.
Like you've heard, we're living in a bigger story. God's story.
No matter how well we think we hear God and know what He wants, He will always surprise us.
We think we have it figured out. We think we know the hows and whys and whats...but no matter how well we think we listen, we are still shortsighted.
Our task is not to figure out the end result or to anticipate the goal. Our role is to trust Him and be in relationship. To listen to the Holy Spirit.
When a door shuts, God does it for a reason. Because He has something else in mind. Often times, it's the last thing we expect...but knowing the God we serve, doesn't the unexpected speak so much more of Him than the expected?
What has God done in your life lately that didn't turn out how you expected? (Maybe you didn't get in to the college you were sure you'd go to. Maybe you didn't get the classes you wanted. Maybe you ended up in a class where you don't know anyone. Etc etc.)
What did you think? How did you feel?
Ultimately, God has the full picture and we see so very little of it.
I didn't move far away. Instead, I moved somewhere nearby. I still live in a new city and a new neighborhood, but I have the same job, the same friends, etc. Not what I expected. I was ready for a new adventure...a new life. Or maybe it's just that God's adventure for me doesn't look the same as the adventure I envisioned...and it's probably better!
Our role is not to figure out why God sends us down a different road than we anticipated. What we DO get to do is explore and step into the adventure!
Why might God have opened this chapter in your life?
How might this road speak more of Jesus than the road you were headed down?
The truth of the matter is...God opens doors for us partly for our sake, but mostly for His sake and the sake of others. Love God. Love others. When we follow Him, He will put us in the position to do just that!
SO, as you find yourself in an unexpected place, look around. Who do you see? Are there new neighbors to get to know? New classmates? Old friends you didn't think you'd see again?
Ask God WHO He wants you to see and love in this new place. Ask Him how you can reach out and serve them. Ask Him to help you take risks. Ask Him to help you step fully into this new and unexpected adventure.
When God closes a door, there's always a reason. When God opens a door, there's always an opportunity.
An opportunity to love Him and love others better than you ever could on your own.
Welcome to a different road. Welcome to the adventure of following Jesus.
"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveller, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same...
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."
The Road Not Taken - Robert Frost
- May 2012 [14]
- April 2012 [19]
- March 2012 [21]
- February 2012 [19]
- January 2012 [18]
- December 2011 [20]
- November 2011 [15]
- October 2011 [15]
- September 2011 [14]
- August 2011 [22]
- July 2011 [19]
- June 2011 [21]
- May 2011 [20]
- April 2011 [20]
- March 2011 [21]
- February 2011 [20]
- January 2011 [21]
- December 2010 [21]
- November 2010 [21]
- October 2010 [21]
- September 2010 [22]
- August 2010 [21]
- July 2010 [22]
- June 2010 [20]
- May 2010 [18]
- April 2010 [20]
- March 2010 [23]
- February 2010 [19]
- January 2010 [22]
- December 2009 [22]
- November 2009 [21]
- October 2009 [22]
- September 2009 [21]
- August 2009 [20]
- July 2009 [21]
- June 2009 [22]
- May 2009 [18]
- April 2009 [15]
- March 2009 [7]
- February 2009 [17]
- January 2009 [20]
- December 2008 [23]
- November 2008 [19]
- October 2008 [22]
- September 2008 [22]
- August 2008 [19]
- July 2008 [22]
- June 2008 [11]
- May 2008 [19]
- April 2008 [22]
- March 2008 [21]
- February 2008 [18]
- January 2008 [20]
- December 2007 [18]
- November 2007 [15]
- October 2007 [19]
- September 2007 [18]
- August 2007 [12]
- July 2007 [12]
- June 2007 [9]
- May 2007 [11]
- April 2007 [10]
- March 2007 [11]
- February 2007 [14]
- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
