One More Step

I don't know if you ever experience emptiness. Like you feel that what you're striving toward is just not the adventure you'd hoped your life would be. Sometimes I do.  Not that I don't love my husband, my kids, my family and friends, because I do, very much. And I also know that I am to love them and serve them. I am also not trying to underplay the role of being a parent, because to be honest parenting has been one of the most difficult things God has called me to so far.  


But it still feels like something's missing when I get wrapped up in living my own life, when I get stuck in a routine, when life is all about me and my family or my circle of people.

I get stuck.

I get stagnant.

I get bored... complacent. 

COMPLACENT

I hate that word. I especially hate that word when it comes to myself.

I like to think:

I serve, 

I help, 

I give,

I sacrifice. 

I like to think that I'm moving forward in my growth, in this journey. But the truth is when I feel a step of faith coming, I shudder. I become frozen with fear. 

Uh... FEAR

What if I make the wrong step? 

What if I go the wrong way? 

What if this isn't Gods plan for me? 

What if he gets angry that I made a mistake? 

As if missteps aren't part of following Him. But instead of stepping out into the unknown or failing, I choose to stick by what I know, what's comfortable. It's easier that way isn't it? Staying with the people you know? The things you know? The place you know? It's scary to go some place new with no one or nothing we know. Even if what we are leaving behind is really bad or dysfunctional. 




When I think about it I've learned a lot about taking faith steps from my 1 year old.  She would step fall. Step, step, fall.  And then one day she didn't fall all the way down the hallway.  Sometimes she would trip, fall, bang her head and cry.  Then I'd comfort her and she'd get up and do it again.  Now I swear she runs and it seems like I can't keep up with her.  All because she tried to take that first step.  I doubt it was comfortable to fall.

  

Those who have adventure are those 

who choose to GO despite their discomfort. 

You know before Jesus ascended to heaven he said something similar:

“GO and make disciples of ALL nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” ~Matthew 28:19

Notice how he says we have to actually GO somewhere. We cannot stay where we are and also go do what he's asked. It implies action. We don't have to go overseas to share with others, but we do have to go somewhere: to the homeless man outside Stater Bros, to the single mom struggling next door, to the the annoying (possibly crazy) old lady that lives across the street, to the cranky complaining co-worker. We need to GO outside of our circle, to those on the outskirts, the ones we don't feel comfortable with. You know who it is for you. 

If we as the church don't follow this call and are not being the church, then who will? Do we think the pastors and missionaries will do it for us? If so, then we will miss out on all the fullness this adventure we call life is meant to be. We will be living in disobedience.  Sort of like Jonah.  If you don't know the story it goes like this: 

God tells Jonah to GO to Ninevah and tell them they're living in sin and that God is going to punish them.  Jonah says NO! and runs the opposite way.  Well to be precise, he jumps on a boat and sails away.  Then God causes a storm all around the boat. Jonah tells the people on the boat to throw him overboard because God is causing the storm.  They throw him overboard.  He gets swallowed by a fish. ( I know right?) Then the fish spits him out in the same place God called him the first time.  God tells him GO. So he goes, sort of. He prophesies on the outskirts of the city, but somehow the word gets all the way to the king and the whole town fasts and repents and grieves that they were so far away from God.  God spares them.  


I think I'd rather go the first time rather than face all the consequences that complacency brings. But...

If we GO

It won't be safe. 

It won't be comfortable.

It will definitely come with: 

failure 

risk 

and lots of heartache and pain. 

But do we really want to live comfortable, safe lives, when Jesus has an amazing adventure waiting for us? 

I've decided that I don't want to live it safe anymore. 

I want to follow Jesus wherever he takes me. 

I want to be filled to the brim. 

I don't want to feel empty, or like something's missing anymore. 

So I'm ready to take my next scary faith step into the unknown.

And if we're a follower of Jesus let's not forget:

Jesus was on the outskirts.  

He never fit what everyone thought someone "religious" should look like. He hung out with all the crazies. All the "extra grace required."  He served those people. He healed them. He loved them with abandon. 

And then He was crucified (with the support of many of those he served) on the outskirts of town. That's where the trash was.  The murderers. The lepers. Jesus was taken outside of town.  

If he was willing to live and die on the outskirts. Shouldn't we as his followers be willing to do the same?  

I don't know what that step looks like for you. Maybe there was something you felt he called you to a long time ago, but because of hurt you took the safe way. Or maybe he asked you to do something and through justification you thought, that wasn't really God, that was just me. Or maybe you don't really care much about God but you've felt his nudge a long time ago to give your life to him, but you chose to keep going your own way. 

Maybe now is the time for that first step of faith. The first step to the crazy God-sized life you've always wanted. One that you will never get bored with.

Remember God is always calling us to one more step. 

To hand over a little more of ourselves. 

And he always has so much more for us then we can even think or imagine!

Are you ready to run into the life that God has for you?