When God says move……..we should probably move.

There have been so many times in my life when I have had that feeling inside. You know that feeling that won’t go away. That feeling that is telling you to do something that you’re not sure you want to do. It’s like it comes from the heart, but your mind……well your fear filled mind says, “NOOOO!!” Now if you are wondering, when I say move……I don’t mean ‘move’ literally, at least not right now. You see this week, well this week, for one, was A…….MAZING! I have spent the last week up in the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Lynchburg, VA. I came here for an intensive course that was required for the Marriage and Family Therapy degree I am working towards through Liberty University….or was working towards; well let’s just say that hasn’t quite been decided yet.

                I came here with high expectations, and they were met, actually I’d say that’s an understatement. He really hit it out of the park this week. Yes, the God that never fails to surprise me surprised me again. Honestly, I was on a journey here to get my three credit hours, meet some good people (maybe even network), learn a little about Christian counseling while visiting what I expected was a beautiful campus, and then go home. Man…..was I off! Although, I do expect that I will get my three credit hours, I didn’t meet any good people. No, I met some awesome people. People that love God as much as I do (if not more), and were just as willing (as He is) to share that love with me. I didn’t learn a lot about Christian counseling. I learned a lot about letting Christ counsel through me. I learned how to shut up and listen, and learned that I cannot fix everything…….and don’t need to.

                I had the opportunity to play the counselor, and the counselee. It was amazing to see the Spirit move in so many people, including myself. Because we were working in two groups, I had to come up with two ‘problems’ that my counselors could counsel me on. One was based on a feeling that I have had for a while regarding my current job, and the other dealt with an urge I had got when I first got here at the beginning of the week. When I got here, I knew that I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to run (ok, walk) around this beautiful campus. On one of the first occasions I really felt at peace here, and imagined all of the perks to living near campus. I thought that it was definitely an option to consider. However, I don’t think that He did. That evening I prayed about it, and even sent a message to my Lifegroup asking them to pray that He would give me guidance and discernment. That next morning (of course) I started my morning off with the following devotional:

“You are my beloved child. I chose you before the foundation of the world, to walk with Me along paths designed uniquely for you. Concentrate on keeping in step with Me, instead of trying to anticipate My plans for you. If you trust that My plans are to prosper you and not to harm you, you can relax and enjoy the present moment.

Your hope and your future are rooted in heaven, where eternal ecstasy awaits you. Nothing can rob you of your inheritance of unimaginable riches and well-being. Sometimes I grant you glimpses of your glorious future, to encourage you and spur you on. But your main focus should be staying close to Me. I set the pace in keeping with your needs and My purposes.”

In other words, I think he was saying “whoa, slow down there fella! I’ve got way too much for you back home.” But it didn’t seem to stop there. For some reason, several of these people that I was starting to get to know, started to put other ideas in my head. Not entirely different from the ideas that I had already had, just a slightly different direction. As I mentioned, I am currently working towards a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. And I, without a doubt, believe that that is my calling. However, I don’t know that it actually looks the way I thought it did. You see I started this journey with a class at my church called ‘Chazown’ where I discovered the following statement about my calling. I am to “Pastor men to be the fathers and husbands that they were called to be, and Pastor women to be the mothers and wives that they were called to be, through counseling and encouragement.” Did you notice the capitalized words in that sentence? Yeah, well that is the word that I kept hearing being thrown my way this week. So am I going to move, well let’s just say I’m going to do something about it. Luckily a pastoral counseling degree does not differ too much from what I have already completed. So, for me my next step is to see what that may look like for me. I have to look at my options, and what that may mean for my current working situation……I may just kill two birds with one stone (solving both of this weeks ‘problems’). Up to this point I have always considered marriage and family to be my ministry, but now as I am finding, it may actually be a MINISTRY.

                Well, I’ve pretty much covered when we should move…..when God says to. In this particular case, he has told me that my direction is slightly different than I had originally thought. And I bring this to you (hoping that SOMEONE has actually read it) in hopes that you can help me stay on track, and keep me accountable to this new vision. What exactly does that vision entail, I am not quite sure yet. But please don’t let me stop pursuing it, unless of course He tells me otherwise.

                Sometimes His demands on us may look a little different. They are not always life changing, course shifting demands. But they can be equally important. There were several people that I met this week, that I seemed to have an immediate connection with……we shared some notable things in common. Just to keep it simple, as we shared our stories and made small conversation, pieces of their stories stuck out. They rang a bell, so to speak. And sometimes when that happens we may find that we were put in that situation to answer a call. You can even call it ‘DIVINE APPOINTMENT’. You were supposed to meet that person. Our Father gave you a key, a key that they lost, and He wants you to give it to them. In one particular case, it just meant giving someone a book that I had just finished reading. For me, it was just a book that may be helpful for their situation. But as they explained, it was a confirmation that they had been waiting for.

In another situation, the bell had been rung, but I had missed my opportunity (or so I thought) to share my thoughts. Class was over and everyone was leaving town. As I ran some errands I continued to ponder on the situation (or chew on the cud, as my instructor stated), considering an email, but then as I walked through the bookstore doors…….there that person stood. I nervously made a silly comment as I walked by; I struggled with the idea of sharing the thoughts that had been put on my heart. I really felt that it was something that I needed to do, but I just could not get myself to do it.

I didn’t want to leave without giving it a shot. I made another corky statement and we started to talk. Finally the thought slipped past my tongue. It.was.such.a.relief!!!! I wasn’t quite sure what that person was going to do with that thought, but it felt good to finally get it out. It started a good conversation, an emotional one. You could tell that the Spirit was right there with us the whole time. And as you can guess, I am so extremely happy that I made the move, that I answered the call. If I hadn’t there would’ve been a lot of ‘what ifs’ for me and may have been a lot of ‘unanswered’ for them.

Why do I share this? Because I know that every single one of you that will read this, and everyone that will not, is just like me. You get a feeling in your heart, an urge to do or say something to someone, and you just can’t find the courage to do it. Well this is me, telling you that you can and you should. I’m not saying that when you get excited about an attractive person of the opposite sex, you should run over and throw your arms around them, then run off and get married…….or that because you suddenly decide that you want to move away to Hawaii (or Lynchburg, VA) you should. What I’m saying is, check your thoughts against what you know about God, and if it fits in line with whom He is…..GO FOR IT! This is about those times when someone you know is down, and you want to pick them up, maybe even give them a hug. But the thought of doing so, seems awkward or uncomfortable. Get over yourself. (J) The cross that Christ carried on his back for you and I was awkward and uncomfortable, this is nothing. Love one another as He loves us.