So lately there have been some challenges. Yesterday I became so discouraged with a segment of the work here that I burst into tears in from of a couple of my dear colleagues....twice. I do not tell you this for sympathy. I don't need it. I only share for those who think some things go well because of Terry. They don't. They never have. And they never will.
I knew yesterday's turbulence was valuable. Sometimes I wish I could just enjoy my own misery. Know what I mean? Misery loves myself. Yet, that's not the place where God would want me to set up shop. I knew He was blessing me and it was my assignment to either sit still and wait or else go on the hunt.
One of my seemingly eternal frustrations occurs when I can't make things/people/programs work. By now I have become a professional failure at this. I am accustomed to great plans going South. Yet, there is God. That's always His point of contention with me. He works.
So what I realized for about the jamillionth time is that God is the power; no one else. My job is to believe Him when I have no categorical spreadsheet of supporting proof. My work is to trust Him...John 6:29. Period.
Therefore, my focus shifted from my disappointment to God's appointment. I looked toward Him. Maybe what I noted yesterday might encourage some of you today.
God is impossible. He is impossible. He does impossible. He gives impossible. He lives impossible. His story is impossible. And, His reach is impossible.
The church has nearly succumbed to priding itself with its own understanding. We have become stabilizing forces of managerial prowess. We know stuff. We share stuff we know because others need to know some of that same stuff; we assume.
We have come to believe in our beliefs; not so much in our God. For us, we have transitioned from the wow of impossibility to the self-impressiveness of explainability. We have books---sets of books---plus our seminars, plus our maps and plans.
Too, one must not forget our insistent preferences. We have distracted ourselves by ourselves. So much so that guys like me get blue because I get caught off-guard when I realize--for the jamillionth time--that I am not running this show.
From day one (literally) God has done what can't be. He gave us the Book of impossibilities becoming actual. Fatigue overrides the church when we chart and guess and take stabs at man's best applications. Each generation needs to be shaken from our meager productivity due to our meagerer control.
The God of the impossible is demonstrated from Day One all the way out of the other side of His Son's grave. He started what we know as the church with twelve nice; but maybe dull men. One of them committed suicide. But just think of God's impossible implications with such a destined-to-fail-for-sure start. He thought that with this motley crew He could eventually reach the entire world. Hmmm.
Me? Oh, I am tempted to get down. Yet, I must choose differently. Life isn't about me and how I'm feeling. If God can make something of dummies like Peter, James, and John, He will surely invest in me as well. And...I'm saying the same is true for all of us.
Absolutely challenging times hit...repeatedly. Every time can be found to be a great stage for us to look upward to see how God is reminding us today...of the impossibilities He wishes we would ponder. Impossibility is God's nature.
May we join in!
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