So you think God might be stirring your heart for something new...now what?

A New Thing

Author and speaker Jen Hatmaker has coined the phrase, “It’s a thing.” She usually throws it out there after introducing people to a new idea or way of doing something that doesn’t appear to exist or have any relevance to, well, anything. But she makes it cute and fun and she makes a whole lot of things, "a thing."

I wonder if that’s sometimes what we do when God begins to stir our hearts for something new but He hasn’t yet revealed fully what that “New” is. By nature, we tend to jump ahead of ourselves at the first hint of excitement over an idea. How many times have you felt compelled to join the gym without pausing long enough to consider some logistics. Such as, what days of the week do I have time to go? Can I afford this even if I don’t go regularly? How long can I sustain a regular workout routine? Instead, most of us get the limited time offer ad in the mail that says, “$.99 signup fee & free 30 day trial! Hurry fast!”, and we’re all over it like white on rice. We march in that gym and insist we sign up right then and get our first workout in before dinner that night.

This can be true of how we respond when we sense God stirring our hearts for a new thing. We jump on a hasty train and take the infant vision we have and make it into a thing. Not really taking our lead from the God who holds the whole vision in His hands and has plans for how it comes to life so that he alone receives glory.

For the next couple minutes, let’s pause and consider some things. First, how common do you think it is for God to throw an entire vision our way and ask us to put it together the next day? Yes, He is preparing us years before we have the slightest hint of it and while God can do whatever He wants, it seems to me that most of the time He plants an idea in us and allows it grow over time, carefully watering it and watching the roots grow deep while He orchestrates all the details we can’t see. Then, when it’s time to move, we’re ready, the team around us that we didn’t even know existed is ready and God begins to pull it together. This could takes days, weeks, or even decades. There are some powerful Christian leaders doing big things for the Kingdom of God and you know how most of it started out?...a stirring, a vision, a spark. What did they do with it? Hit their knees and seek God. Jennie Allen, the founder of IF: Gathering in Austin, Tx, stated that her biggest fear after the conference was that we would all go do a bunch of stuff. I think she was right on. Sometimes we do need to just put a foot forward because we’ve been living in fear or doubt but before anything else happens, we must surrender it to God and pray, pray, pray.

The other thing that is crucial we grasp, is that we may not think God can do much through us, but HE IS GOD. He will use you. We are all called to spread the gospel, to love His people, and extend His hand of mercy and grace to those around us. If you feel a stirring in your heart, first, hit your knees in prayer and second, believe that the God who has given you the Holy Spirit has mighty plans to use your life for His glory. You may not be expecting God to call you to bring thousands of college students to an arena like He has with Louie and Shelley Giglio (Passion Conference)…but He may. The stirring you have may not be leading a women’s Bible study at your church…but it could be. We cannot project our own insecurities, fears, ideas, vision onto what God is placing on our hearts. Our job is to yield to His plans and say, “yes”, to whatever HE is laying before us.

This morning I posted a picture on my Facebook page showing my Bible open to Jeremiah chapter 1. I captioned my post this way,

“Sometimes I feel a lot like Jeremiah. God calls me to something and I respond with "But..."
Friends, I pray we will be a generation that responds with an exuberant "YES God!"-before we even know what he's calling us to.”

The more I grow in understanding who God is, the more excited and honored I feel to be a part of what He’s doing here on the earth, in this generation. He is moving among us and reaching the hearts of people that desperately need truth. He doesn’t need our help to do that but He wants it. It’s important to remember that the timeless truths that we see in the Bible are the same and will remain the same, always. God never changes (Hebrews 13:8). BUT, with each changing generation, He equips us a little different so that we can reach people in a fresh way with the old message. If ever you’ve thought, as I have, “That message has been given already” or “Everyone knows that Bible verse”,  remember this-they haven't heard it from you, from your perspective and God has uniquely worked in your life and gifted you in a way that they have not yet experienced. Share your story, share the truth in scripture then watch God work.
 

I truly believe we are hungry to have our lives count for more than just ordinary. Our Creator desires that for us too. In Ecclesiastes 3 we read about there being a "Time for Everything." It's not always a time to make brave changes but it is always the time to bravely ask how God wants to work through you. Are you open to what that stirring might mean? Are we going to be ready to say, “yes!”, to God and then hit our knees in prayer, humbling ourselves before Him as we authentically ask Him to lead us.

Just imagine how different our lives might look if we choose that sort of surrender. I've seen it I my own life...when I live this way, taking His lead, I can always anticipate an exciting ride.


Blessings,
Chels


 

I Want What I Want

I have a feeling I won’t be alone when I tell you there are many days I find myself consumed with desire to have things I just can’t have.

Today was one of those days.

 

Driving through the breath taking scenery in western Minnesota is something familiar to me but it still captures my dreaming heart every time I venture through that part of our beautiful state. That was true, once again, today. I put my blinker on and turned right off of the highway and like stepping into a new world I began driving slowly down the paved road that is encased with rolling hills as far the eye can see. Sparkling streams of water are flowing beneath charming, old bridges and full, lush, green trees seem placed in such a stunning way that it is as if God wanted our eyes to fall on them in wonder after every new mile marker we pass on the county road. There are many farms. Some small, some big. Some with large farming operations but most read as hobby farms with a few chickens, small gardens and beautiful views of the scenery from their well-loved porch. I was soaking in the beauty when I caught myself day dreaming of owning one of these precious plots of land and having room for my own little ones to freely run around. It’s always been our dream to live in the country but after the market took a dive a few years ago, it made that dream seem far from our reach.

When I got to my destination I turned into the driveway of yet another stunning little hobby farm in this beautiful countryside. I was only picking up an item I purchased from an online garage sale but I lingered for some time chatting with the sweet woman that owned this lovely home. I wish I could show you a picture of this place. It was a country-meets-modern dream house. As I stood there making small talk with her, I suddenly felt as if I was standing there naked. I felt exposed. Vulnerable. Plagued with insecurity. I said some awkward things and laughed nervously. In part because I felt like a slob. (Moms, I think you’ll appreciate this next part of my story). Before running out the door this morning, I had thrown on some old clothes that were too small for me, I threw my hair up in a messy ponytail and started with one dollop of makeup under my eyes before deciding to skip my usual beauty regimen all together and get my kids in the car before they started taking off their shoes and running around, again. I didn’t feel pretty or put together or even semi-confident at all. That feeling combined with a longing for “more” left me with my insides hanging out. Certainly not because of anything this sweet woman said, she was darling, but simply because of the battle ragging inside me. I drove away with tears in my eyes and it wasn’t until 5 miles down the mountainous road that I finally exhaled and whispered…”Lord, why can’t I have a place like that? Why do you withhold some things we long for but you lavish us with others? Help me understand because I am angry and frustrated and weary of fighting off this longing for something I can’t have.” A few miles later I drove in my driveway and felt the sting of discontentment with my small, outdated, inexpensive home.

And there it is.

The dreadful American delusion that gets us all wrapped up in greed and coveting and all sorts of ugliness. We want things that God hasn’t assigned us. We know we aren’t supposed to covet or lust or long for that which God hasn’t given us but sometimes it’s a hard battle to fight and it creeps in slowly, stealing joy from our life. It can take many different forms such as material things, talents, gifting’s, relationships and so on. I imagine you could fill in this blank without any hesitation…”I wish I had______.”

As I wrestle this in my own life right now I think of what I lose in the process of letting this type of desire fester in me. The greatest tragedy is that I trade the wonder of intimacy with an infinite God for the empty longing of something finite. While I sit fantasizing about sipping my coffee and doing my morning devotions on a serene front porch overlooking the countryside, I am trading peace and contentment in where I am now. We must ask ourselves, what have I gained by dreaming of the future if I lose my peace in the present?

I’m not suggesting we hide our desires, I am however suggesting that we come to God with open hands offering them to Him, choosing to trust the God who fiercely loves us to gently hold those desires. We are precious to Him and He cares what’s on our hearts. In the process, He may change our heart to desire other things but He may not. What we may receive in return is a sense of deep contentment where we are, just as Paul describes in Philippians chapter 4. And wouldn’t that be worth giving up all of those empty longings? I think so. If only it were that easy, right? J

I’ve recently started practicing a few things that help me re-center my heart. I’m going to share them with you in hopes that you may be encouraged as you consider your own habits.

Prayer. This may seem obvious but don’t underestimate the power of earnestly coming to the living, Holy God in prayer. If we’re being honest, I wonder how many of us could really say we spend more time in prayer over the things we want than dwelling on how we can get what we want.

Focus on what you DO know/have. How many times an hour do you stop and say out loud what you are thankful for? Like Ann Voskamp style. Bless that woman and her ministry! Recently I was feeling anxious over a host of unknowns we were facing in our family. I knew I needed to halt my poisonous focus on what I didn’t know so I started to focus on what I do know. My goodness, that one practice has made a huge difference for me. If you find yourself reeling over things that you desire, try making a list of things you are already surrounded with and aim to battle thought for thought.

Talk to your soul. I first heard this concept from the lovely Dee Brestin. It sounds similar to replacing uncertainty with what you know but this differs in that you’ll use Scripture to combat that. When your soul begins to swirl with dark, peace-threatening ideas, turn to Scripture that fills you with truth. For example, if we’re tempted to think God must not be pleased with us or He would be blessing us with “more”, we can turn to verses such as Titus 3:5 which reminds us that Gods love for us has nothing to do with our works or John 1:6 that remind us of God’s grace which is not dependent on what we do or who we are.

I sit here writing from a new, pretty desk at a car dealership while I patiently wait for the mechanic to finish working on my mini-van. You know what I see all around me? New, sparkly cars. I hear the car salesman talking them up to potential buyers and using strategy to pull on strings of desire. “This is a great truck! And we can give you a great finance rate on this one!” “What are you waiting for? You could driving this thing to work tomorrow and show it off to your buddies!” Bless those salesmen. They know how to pull on that which is deeply seeded in us; desire. The devil does too. He wants nothing more than to take your eyes off your Creator who will satisfy you with living water. Just as He spoke to the women at the well, He alone can satisfy us in a way that would leave us thirsty no more.

We  simply just need to go to the well. He is waiting for us.

Chels

*I want to be clear that I am not talking about desires that are honoring to Him. I am only speaking to those that consume us and distract from what is most important.

The Messy That Turns Out To Be Beautiful (and a peek at my latest decor project)

After 7 years of living in our current home, my husband and I are finally doing some light remodeling. I say light because we aren't planning on tearing any walls down but we've definitely braved some minor demo work such as ripping up old floors and replacing our stairs. It has been a slow process because we are working within our budget and around our busy schedule as a family of five. However, even with the slow progress, it has been so rewarding.

If you've done any remodeling then you know that redecorating often comes with the territory. A little over a year ago I started allowing room in my schedule for doing just that. Most of my decorating projects involve painting, staining and a little crafting-all of which require me to use some "non-mom" brain space. In other words, I get to use the creative, artistic side of me. The one that would easily hides itself underneath layers of housework and mom duty and to-do lists if I didn't choose to set aside time to "create."

Just a few weeks ago, while strolling up and down every isle at the local farmers market, I had my eyes scanning each vendor's small space looking for that one special item I just couldn't live without. We turned a corner and once again I began looking carefully through the treasures laid out on the acres of green, lush grass. At first glance I didn't see anything special from this man's sale but then out of the corner of my eye I spotted a worn out, time stamped stool sitting alone on the corner of his lot. I walked up to it and without skipping a beat I asked my husband if he was okay with me purchasing this item. He must have saw that familiar twinkle in my eye because he looked at me with a soft, knowing smile and gave his blessing. After making an offer, I loaded it in our wagon and she was all mine. Although I saw potential in this stool, I knew it needed some serious tlc. So I perused the internet for inspiration and just today, during my kids naptime, I was able to bring my vision to life.

Here it is all painted and prettied...
 

 

At first glance, it looks really cute doesn't it? Take a closer look at the photo below...

 

I imagine you can see the obvious flaws now. In fact, it's down right messy and sloppy in some areas. I was so careful when placing my design on top of the stool and I focused really hard on painting lightly and using only a thin coat so it wouldn't smear. Clearly I didn't do as good of a job as I thought I did because when I peeled back the stencil I was so disappointed to see the sloppy letters and numbers. I thought about starting over and trying to clean it up, making crisp lines instead of the blurred, semi-ugly ones that are pictured above. Then at least no one would ever know how I messed it up. But before I could even reach for my paint brush I felt God say in my spirit, "Sweet daughter, don't paint over it just to hide the flaws, love it for it's messiness and take joy in what you've created".

That's when I understood the lesson God was teaching me. That's exactly how he feels about us. We are His masterpiece, a product of His infinite love and while we can appear quite messy, He never once has wanted to take a paintbrush and start over by covering up our mistakes and imperfections. Instead, He views us much like my husband and I view our home remodel. He wants to take us and shape us slowly. He allows the process to happen without rushing us because He knows that authentic, true art takes time and it cannot be hurried. Isaiah 64:8 refers to God as the potter and we, his beloved children, as the clay. As a potter sees all the imperfections of his clay, so does God. As a potter sees all the potential with his clay, so does God. Art rarely turns out just as the artist pictured it. In fact, I would venture to say that most artists choose to find the beauty in the imperfections because they know they will exist. Thankfully God is not surprised how we turn out. He knew how messy we would be and He chose to create us anyway. He could see our imperfections from before time began but that did not stop him from beaming with excitement when He wove us in our mother's womb's (Psalm 139). He is not interested in pretending we don't mess up. He wants to walk through our messes and give us the gift of seeing the beauty He is creating in us through those messes.

"God often uses our deepest pain as the launching pad of our greatest calling". I don't know who wrote that but it has recently become one of my favorite new quotes. I think I like it so much because it reminds us that nothing is wasted. When we mess up, when we hurt, when we are feeling undone and stripped down....He uses it. He doesn't paint over the imperfections, He allows them to shine just as an artist would. 
 
My cute little stool is sitting in my entryway right now. It's placed on top of the silver-toned tiles that are laying loose, waiting to be glued down. I'm anticipating quite a few more hours of work in our entryway and I'm looking forward to seeing my little stool proudly placed right where it needs to be-in my line of vision as a reminder to love the imperfections.

With love for you and all of your messiness,
Chels