I used to be scared. Scared of letting the Lord know what I *didn't* want. Because then he'd make me do it.
I always had this fear of Canada. Nothing in particular against the country. Just an irrational fear of mine. Maybe it was the cold, or the fact that it was a different country than the U.S. Either way, I didn't want to tell God. Because I'd automatically become a missionary to the plains of Toronto.
Silly, right? I mean, isn't God omniscient (all knowing)? And doesn't he already know what we're thinking? Doesn't he know everything?
Of course.
But something about verbalizing my fear made it that much more understood.
Is that how God works? Is he out to get us? Out to give us what we don't want, or give us our nightmare just because it's our nightmare?
Sometimes he does that. But I don't think that's God's nature. God's will is that all things will work together for good to them that love him. He's not bound by our will, and it's our job to work in conjunction with God's will, submit to it, and walk in the way that he's shown us.
I also used to wonder about reverse logic. What if I told God that I *did* want to move to Canada? Then surely he'd let me stay here in the plains of Georgia where I belong. Surely, surely.
Please don't laugh. I really thought I had something there. (Go reread the portion about omniscience, if you're confused).
But I realized something about my convoluted logic. God is so much bigger than me. He tends to do things that put me outside of my comfort zone and challenge me to grow. He also puts trials in my life, hard things that I would rather do without. He chooses to grow me, shape me, and lead me to follow after him more faithfully. Challenges, trials and obstacles make me have to rely more on God. When the going gets too easy, it's easy to fall back on, "I've got this." I'm a very fallible human, and too often I think I'm alright. Of course I need God, but it's in the good times that make me need him less.
Why else does persecution always produce a massive revival and general cultural acceptance of Christianity make the church grow cold and stale? James reminds us to "Count it all joy when we fall into diverse temptations." Why? Because the trials of our faith work patience. In order to be perfect and entire, we need to let patience have her perfect work. That's hard, let me tell you. The epitome of easy is to cruise, plain and simple. The trouble comes when we allow ourselves to be challenged. But we will always grow and be molded into better humans and closer followers of Christ when we allow the Lord to make us uncomfortable.
To bring things somewhat home and apply a bit of practical application, let me tell you a little story about myself.
I said I'd NEVER EVERRRRR shoot weddings. They were too scary. Too many things could go wrong. Too many horror stories had already happened to other people, and chances were, they'd happen to me, too. Nope. I'd leave weddings to the pros.
And then December 9, 2022 happened. We were visiting some friends of ours, and I told them I would never shoot weddings. That day, of course, my inbox received its first ever wedding inquiry. What were the chances?
God works in mysterious ways.
Chances are, if you say you won't do something, you will. And it's not because God's out to get us. Maybe it's because he's out to grow us, test us, and make us better.
I grew a lot in 2023 because of the weddings I shot. They helped me grow as a person, a photographer and business owner. They helped me learn how to deal with tough situations, stand on my feet for 14 hours straight, fast from food, and why water is important for functionality. 😉
5Ks used to seem insurmountable. Yes, it was only 3.1 miles. But still. It was 3.1 miles. I mean, come on!
So we got into racing. Road racing. And 5ks. And then 10ks. And then races on Saturdays in the dead of winter when smart people slept in. Suddenly it didn't seem so insurmountable. It grew us, challenged us, and made us better.
We shouldn't shut out God's will because it's too unfeasible. (Lately I think I'm making up words but then I realize they're actually words, because auto correct doesn't put little red lines under my collection of letters.) Anyway.
It's so easy to write something off as unattainable because of how out there it is.
But God's ways are higher than ours! His thoughts are higher than ours, and his plans typically are too! The Lord often has bigger and better things in mind for us. And sometimes those things cause us to be uncomfortable, step out in faith, and have to trust that he knows what he's doing.
Because you know what, the Lord really does know best!
Be encouraged, friend.
Joyfully,
Lauren
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