Friday, August 9, 2013

Whose voice are you listening to?

I've never felt "at home" here in SoMD.  I remember the day my husband brought me here.  He told me the place we were going to live was just south of Washington D.C.  I'm a city girl and that sounded just fine to me.  We drove here from Monterey, CA.  When we got to the beltway I was so happy.  We were almost here.  And then we kept driving.  We kept driving for a long time and there wasn't anything along the way.  We didn't pass through any towns.  We barely saw any houses.  We saw a bunch of empty land.  (it was winter, that empty land was farmland)  I didn't have a good feeling about this.  That was 22 years ago.  My feelings about the area haven't improved.  But this is where God brought me and I was going to bloom where I had been planted.  It has been a struggle, but you know what they say, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."  I'm feeling pretty darn strong right about now.

Some Christians I've met believe God has been speaking to them and telling them to leave their home and go out and search for a new home in a different location.  I guess they believe they will receive a "sign" when they find their home.  This is interesting.  You would think if God was sending you out, he'd make a path for you.  After all, when he asked Moses to take his people out of Egypt he sent a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  Even though he had them wander in the desert for 40 years, he was still the one leading them around.  So when you say God is sending you out and you have to manipulate everything you have and hold in order to make this divine journey happen, maybe you shouldn't say it is God who is sending you.  Maybe you should just say it like it is, this is something you want to do and you want God to bless it.  

Being a Christian is difficult enough, in this day and age, without putting words in God's mouth.  It hurts my heart to watch someone say that they hear the voice of God, then tell others what God has told them, and then to watch it not happen.  This makes God look foolish.  Or, it makes God a liar.  I'm sure God appreciates the help.  (Not)  This makes your witness in the world pretty weak.

My pastor shares the Halverson Benediction with his congregation at the close of every service.  I used to think it was because he thought the way I was thinking and was convincing himself that God had not made a mistake by sending him to SoMD.  As I listened to it over and over, I realized that wasn't the case.  He was happy here.  He believed God had sent him here and God had a purpose for him being here.  This gave me the courage I needed to believe more strongly that God's plan for my life had me living here and it wasn't a mistake.  I could pray for God to change his mind, but I wasn't going to force his hand.  God had something he wanted to do through me here in SoMD.  I just needed to be open to what God wanted me to do.  So I was.

If you ever feel you aren't where you belong or that God has made a mistake by placing you in your job or you home or your family.  Remember the words of Rev. Dr. Richard Halverson.

You go nowhere by accident. 
Wherever you go, God is sending you. 
Wherever you are, God has put you there.
God has a purpose in your being there. 
Christ who indwells you has something He wants to do through you, where you are.
Believe this and go in His Spirit's grace and love and power.

371.  Friday (yay!)
372.  My office feels a little bit warmer
373.  Time to myself this weekend (my husband is at Otakon with my son)
374.  Cantalope
375.  A sense of peace about my job (or resignation, whichever it ends up as)
376.  Netflix
377.  Kelly Clarkson AND Dwight Shrute
378.  Truth
379.  People here at my job that know what's going on and call me to see if I'm ok
380.  Confidence that I am exactly where I'm meant to be

5 comments:

  1. I think sometimes we mishear or misinterpret God. Sometimes we want to believe our own desires are of God when they're not: no doubt about it. But I don't think you need to worry about God's looking foolish; if He does, He'll straighten that out. When I was particularly joyless, someone told me that--since I profess to be a Christian--I was making God look bad. I was incensed, and I still get a little angry, thinking about it. God can handle other people's perceptions of Him. No worries. Also, if these people you mention are Christians--if they have the Holy Spirit living within them--they will be convicted if they do wrong, just as you and I are convicted when we do wrong. I am convicted often. I mess up all the time. love you

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  2. there is def some wisdom there...i do think that god has sent me particular places and kept me places for reasons i did not understand or still dont understand...i do think at times we hear what we want to hear from god...and think it is god speaking....

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  3. I agree with you about so many wanting, expecting, God to bless what they want to do.
    I love the prayer you included. I've never read or heard it before.

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  4. Thank you for this post...the timing is perfect.

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  5. There have been times in the last 4 years - that if I didn't know I was where God planted me, I wouldn't have been able to handle the where I am with grace. It makes a head difference - knowing He knows where I am and He wants me there. We have much in common! Wishing you blessing this week - joy in the where you are!

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