My favorite writer, Andree Seu, is convicting me again. (There's actually supposed to be an accent mark over the first e in her name, but I can't figure out how to make that happen here. If anyone can fill me in, please do!) I used a quote from her blog as my Facebook status the other day, just to keep it in my face. "It is normal for a tree to have fruit. If it doesn't, something is wrong with the tree and we need to get to the root of it." I find myself all too often satisfied with a less-than-fruitful daily existence -- and I need to not settle for that.
Yesterday I got caught up on reading some of my World magazines, where she has a regular column (this is where I was first introduced to her). And once again, she was the voice of God to me.
Let me have risk-takers around me. Just as a practical matter. Let me have Christians who try things that fail, and then try something else. Introduce me to someone who parks near handicapped parking at McDonalds and waits for someone to come along who might need prayer. Send me a friend who would rather make a fool of himself obeying what he is 80 percent sure the Word commands than play it safe, or who supports missionaries beyond his means. I want to hang out with a woman who snaps to the voice of the Spirit, rather than mind-screwing it till it subsides. Or who puts her full weight on the promises of God and doesn't get so mired in theological discussion of "context" that the promise is whittled to nothing.
I wrote about this before, earlier in the year. About how few of us believers can effectively share our stories with the world -- not because we're weak communicators, but because we're weak believers and have no stories to share.
We rob each other. How do we rob each other? By not risking anything all day long, so that we give no room to God for the glorious testimonies He is waiting to hand us . . God is glorified in the demonstration of the difference between our natural ability and His miraculous power.
In other words, if I never venture out to try something that is beyond my natural ability to do, there is little opportunity for God to show his supernatural ability in my life. Scary.
For me, the scary part of this is deciding what risks God wants me to take. There is sometimes a fine line, it seems, between stepping out on faith and just being an idiot. Between anticipating that God will work a miracle through me to accomplish His will and expecting presumptiously that God will work a miracle to accomplish MY will.
"We would accomplish a lot more things if we didn't believe they were impossible" -- I quoted that in an earlier blog, too. God can accomplish the impossible -- but only God can accomplish the impossible. I need to be sure that the risks I choose to take are a part of His plan. Right?
This subject has been coming up too regularly for me to ignore it. What to do about it, I'm not sure yet . . .
4 comments:
So what impossible things do you see laying before you? That might be the first question you wish to ask yourself.
I like this thought provoking post! It is challenging me, too.
YOU LIKE POETRY?
Or whatever it is...
Eastin
I know this is slightly off topic, but I have to put it here. I am somewhat confused, not really angry, but a little sad, at her one example of parking near handicapped parking outside a McDonalds and waiting for someone who might need prayer. As a person with muliple disabilities, I feel I am only as in need of prayer as anyone else who parks in mcdonalds parking lot. Why do temporarily able bodied people assume that people with disabilities need prayer more than people without? Why not walk around inside walmart and look to see someone who needs prayer? perhaps they can't afford the prescriptions they need to buy or the food they need for their family. And in that case, why not buy them a five pound chub of hamburger isntead of just praying?
I think the call is to "JUST DO IT" whatever it may be. I just had to make the mention of the "poor disabled people" example as slightly annoying. To be honest, everyone parking in McDonalds needs prayer, either because they can't afford a nice meal out or because they are putting junk food in their bodies!
OKay, I'll be quiet now.
Glad you're able to comment again, Spesh! :)
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