Copied
& re-posted from: buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com
I
LOVE this post!! I truly wish I was able to write this post as eloquently as
the writer!
Tuesday,
July 24, 2012
I was talking with a friend the
other day who was helping us raise awareness for Village of Hope. She shared
with me her frustration over the lack of support she had experienced and
explained that she just couldn't understand why people don't seem to
care.
This exact question has left me sleepless many a night and I have spent many hours in prayer pouring out my heart to God asking Him the same thing.
What I have come to the conclusion is there are several different answers to this question.
Number 1. I think part of the process of 'living for Him' is being willing to step out of the boat while the rest of the world stays in. It's about YOUR faith, YOUR heart and YOUR relationship with God. It has nothing to do with anyone or anything else. It has nothing to do with what others think of you, say about you or if they even agree with you- and everything to do with the question of YOU being willing to stand up alone for what God has called YOU to do. This is difficult for most of us because we humans want to be accepted, approved of and liked. The coolest part about this though is that YOU are not responsible for how others act, how others respond or what others think about who God called YOU to do. That is between them and Him. The bible tells us that when we live for Him we shouldn't expect things to be easy and we should expect to be different. Jesus lived a life that others questioned and he was anything but popular.You are not alone, He understands what it feels like to be different, to be questioned and to be down right rejected.
Number 2. Not everyone can do or give to everything- and that is totally okay. We have had people say to us 'hey we love what you are doing and we are praying for your ministry but we are already giving to ________ (fill in the blank). And let me tell you I am the first one to give them a high five and thank them- because people in China, Russia, Uganda and the United states matter the same to God as the people in Guatemala. It's not about us and our mission- it's about GOD and His. We would never want to get in the way of what God has called someone to do with their lives and nothing excites me more than seeing people follow His will for their lives. That said, we must be careful to examine that we really are doing something or else we might accidentally fall into category number 3.
Number 3. The excuse. We humans have a long list of them too. We think someone else will give, we think someone else will go, we wait for the perfect timing, the perfect situation, the safest bet. We fill our heads with so many excuses- so many reasons why we can't, we shouldn't, we couldn't- that we begin to believe them ourselves. And, we are left sitting on the bench believing that surely God would never ask us to do something that radical, something that scary, something that BIG. And it is then that we miss out on the greatest blessings in life- getting ourselves out of the way and truly living for Him.
I don't know what your situation is, I don't know what it is God has called you to do- but what I do know is that you are called. You are called to live a life outside of what YOU could do on your own without Him. You are called to give, to send, to go, to reach, to love, to share, to forgive, to LIVE- for Him.
I don't know who you were called to send, to what you were called to give, where you are called to go, who you were called to forgive, who you are called to reach out to-but He does- and I challenge you to just ask Him. Ask Him to lead you, guide you and show you who He is. Ask him to show you the world through His eyes. Ask him to show you what it is He has for your life. Ask Him to give you the courage to step out of that boat and begin the journey of a lifetime through the power of His blood. It won't be easy, it won't be comfortable and I can guarantee you people will mostly likely think you are nuts. But it is then my friend, you will know down deep in your heart that you right where you are supposed to be- in His will.
This exact question has left me sleepless many a night and I have spent many hours in prayer pouring out my heart to God asking Him the same thing.
What I have come to the conclusion is there are several different answers to this question.
Number 1. I think part of the process of 'living for Him' is being willing to step out of the boat while the rest of the world stays in. It's about YOUR faith, YOUR heart and YOUR relationship with God. It has nothing to do with anyone or anything else. It has nothing to do with what others think of you, say about you or if they even agree with you- and everything to do with the question of YOU being willing to stand up alone for what God has called YOU to do. This is difficult for most of us because we humans want to be accepted, approved of and liked. The coolest part about this though is that YOU are not responsible for how others act, how others respond or what others think about who God called YOU to do. That is between them and Him. The bible tells us that when we live for Him we shouldn't expect things to be easy and we should expect to be different. Jesus lived a life that others questioned and he was anything but popular.You are not alone, He understands what it feels like to be different, to be questioned and to be down right rejected.
Number 2. Not everyone can do or give to everything- and that is totally okay. We have had people say to us 'hey we love what you are doing and we are praying for your ministry but we are already giving to ________ (fill in the blank). And let me tell you I am the first one to give them a high five and thank them- because people in China, Russia, Uganda and the United states matter the same to God as the people in Guatemala. It's not about us and our mission- it's about GOD and His. We would never want to get in the way of what God has called someone to do with their lives and nothing excites me more than seeing people follow His will for their lives. That said, we must be careful to examine that we really are doing something or else we might accidentally fall into category number 3.
Number 3. The excuse. We humans have a long list of them too. We think someone else will give, we think someone else will go, we wait for the perfect timing, the perfect situation, the safest bet. We fill our heads with so many excuses- so many reasons why we can't, we shouldn't, we couldn't- that we begin to believe them ourselves. And, we are left sitting on the bench believing that surely God would never ask us to do something that radical, something that scary, something that BIG. And it is then that we miss out on the greatest blessings in life- getting ourselves out of the way and truly living for Him.
I don't know what your situation is, I don't know what it is God has called you to do- but what I do know is that you are called. You are called to live a life outside of what YOU could do on your own without Him. You are called to give, to send, to go, to reach, to love, to share, to forgive, to LIVE- for Him.
I don't know who you were called to send, to what you were called to give, where you are called to go, who you were called to forgive, who you are called to reach out to-but He does- and I challenge you to just ask Him. Ask Him to lead you, guide you and show you who He is. Ask him to show you the world through His eyes. Ask him to show you what it is He has for your life. Ask Him to give you the courage to step out of that boat and begin the journey of a lifetime through the power of His blood. It won't be easy, it won't be comfortable and I can guarantee you people will mostly likely think you are nuts. But it is then my friend, you will know down deep in your heart that you right where you are supposed to be- in His will.
