I have realized that the more I obey the Lord and trust His promises, the more I get to experience His true character and presence in my life. Walking in absolute trust of His control is hard, but 100% worth it.
There was one thing on my mind after leaving Target Tuesday night and it was this: “Sleep. I just can’t wait to go home, cuddle up under a blanket and get some serious sleep.” I had nanny-ed all day, worked an evening shift at 24 hour and I was just spent. A long weekend at home full of junk food, carbs and sweets has left me feeling pretty sluggish and all I wanted to do was crawl in bed and go to sleep. But as I started driving home to do just that the Lord challenged me to do something different ...
The last few weeks I’ve been spending my Monday nights in downtown Denver, stepping outside my comfort zone, and spending time with people I wouldn’t normally go out of my way for; but the Lord has shown me His heart for these people and I am doing my best to love on them like He would. As I drove home Monday night, after spending some time with my new friends, my heart felt different and I knew that the Lord had allowed me to understand their situations and needs from a new perspective. (So how does this tie in to the previous paragraph? … Just stay with me for a second.)
In Denver, and in most of Colorado for that matter, the weather this week is going to be extremely cold. Snowy, windy, no sunshine and brutally cold. After I left Target on Tuesday night I realized that the weather man (or woman, I guess it could have been a weather-woman) was right. It was blowing snow and turning to ice the second it hit the ground. The thermometer in my car read 17 degrees and I knew it wasn’t going to get any warmer. If you know me, you know that I love the snow and the cold weather that accompanies it; I don’t know what it is about snow but I just love it and every winter I pray for more and more of it! But that Tuesday night I was mad it was snowing, like really, really mad. I kept thinking about my friends and how less than ideal this weather was for them. I was mad at God, saying things like “Yesterday we prayed for the snow to pass over Denver,” and “Lord, you know what situation they’re in. Why does it have to snow tonight? And on top of that get down to 10 below zero overnight. Why, Lord? Why? It just doesn’t make sense.”
Then the Holy Spirit hit me like a hurricane and I was speechless. I had a nice quite time in my car with the Lord and realized that He wanted me to move. Instead of complaining about the circumstances of the night and being mad, He wanted me to move, to act, and to stop sitting around. But I pleaded, “It’s just not super convenient for me to do something tonight. It’s almost 10:00 o’clock and I’d still have to go to Walmart before I head down there.” None of it mattered because I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt I knew, exactly what the Lord wanted me to do before I went home that night.
I drove to the nearest Walmart, walked in and grabbed what I needed. Before I left I felt the Spirit again, “Go back and get one more. You’re going to need four,” and honestly my initial reaction was embarrassing; I was irritated. I tried justifying my actions by saying, “But I already have three. I only need one for Bill-Bo, Sheila and Ryan. A fourth one just won't be necessary.” Being the stubborn person that I am, I continued to the checkout with only three items in my cart but right before I got in line I knew that I needed four. Ugh. So I walked back through the store and grabbed one more. Still slightly irritated saying things like, “I can’t really even afford one of these let alone four. I sure hope you know what you’re doing up there.” And like always, He proved me wrong and showed me why in fact, I did need an extra one.
I hopped on Santa Fe and headed downtown. I started praying over my Walmart bags and my friends that I was about to visit. I prayed that the Lord would be in every single moment of my night with them and that He would use my purchases to keep my friends safe, stable and healthy in this frigid weather. I prayed that the Lord would walk with me as I met with my friends and I prayed that He would protect me and remind me of His plans for my life. I can’t explain the rest of the drive to you and how good it felt to be with the Lord and be 100% sure that I was walking in obedience with Him. I can’t explain to you why I didn’t feel scared or uncertain or even nervous going downtown by myself at 10 o'clock at night. I just knew that because this is what the Lord had planned for me, and because I was obeying Him, I would be okay.
I parked my car, walked around the corner and went up to my friends’ place. They were already sleeping so I just whispered that I had brought them a few things and wanted to drop them off. Now I was only expecting to see Bill-Bo, Sheila and Ryan, but then I noticed an unfamiliar face and had an “ah-ha” moment with the Lord. “This is why I needed four,” I said to myself and laughed at my stubbornness. I spent some time chatting with my friends, asking them how they were, how things were going and where they were yesterday since I didn’t see them last night like I normally would on Monday nights. They were extremely grateful for my visit and were super friendly, like always. I walked away smiling and praising the Lord for His goodness.
I left shortly after I had arrived and sat in my car with a thankful heart. Thank you Lord for burdening my heart tonight but more importantly, thank you for giving me the wisdom and courage to obey you. I was kind of speechless and in awe that I actually did it, that I actually listened to my father without an ounce of hesitation. All I could think about on my way home was a sermon I had heard at FUEL a couple months back. I don’t remember what series we were in or even what the talk was about that night, but I do remember one thing; Jess said something to the degree of, “The good samaritan didn’t leave his house that day knowing he would help that man on the side of the road. It was actually probably out of his way to help the man. And it probably made him late for his coffee date, lunch date or business meeting but he stopped anyways. He knew it wasn’t convenient for him but he stopped. He stopped because he knew that the Lord had put him there for a reason.” That’s all I could think about as I drove home Tuesday night. It was 100% out of my way to go downtown and visit my friends, it cut into my sleep time, it cost me money I didn’t have, it wasn’t convenient and I hadn’t ‘scheduled’ time for it therefore I didn’t want to do it. But I did. And because I did, because I obeyed, I was able to experience the presence of the Lord that night in a very real way.
None of this is about me. This blog isn’t intended for me to boast about my life and my own experiences. It is all about the Lord and how he is working in my heart to show me new things and let me experience Him in ways I normally wouldn’t. That is why I left out a lot of details and kept things very vague. The details aren't important. What is important is that because I listened to the call on my heart that night I got to experience the Lord differently than I ever had and I was given a glimpse of what His Kingdom is truly intended for. This blog is about the Lord and what He promises us when we simply obey.
Seriously you guys, the Lord will work in your heart if you let Him. I know some of this might sound strange to you, and you're thinking to yourself ‘You felt the Spirit?’ or ‘You heard the Lord say? ...Yeah, right.’ Yes, I understand this might sound kooky and weird, but Christianity isn’t about being normal and blending in with everyone else. It’s about jumping (yes, jumping) out of your comfort zone and doing things that others might not. Christianity is about doing. Doing what the Lord calls us to. Doing what others won’t. Doing things that we don’t understand but know in our hearts is the Lord’s work. Doing. Moving. Getting out there and Kingdom building.
I challenge you to go out of your way for someone this week. Even if the act is small, I challenge you to be open to the Lord’s calling on heart. Because here’s the deal, when we obey and give him 100% control of our lives, He does some pretty gnarly and radical things. So ask Him. Ask Him to take you out of your comfort zone and reveal to you the man on the side of the road from Luke chapter 10.
Drowning in His mercies,
-V
Joshua 1:9
The last few weeks I’ve been spending my Monday nights in downtown Denver, stepping outside my comfort zone, and spending time with people I wouldn’t normally go out of my way for; but the Lord has shown me His heart for these people and I am doing my best to love on them like He would. As I drove home Monday night, after spending some time with my new friends, my heart felt different and I knew that the Lord had allowed me to understand their situations and needs from a new perspective. (So how does this tie in to the previous paragraph? … Just stay with me for a second.)
In Denver, and in most of Colorado for that matter, the weather this week is going to be extremely cold. Snowy, windy, no sunshine and brutally cold. After I left Target on Tuesday night I realized that the weather man (or woman, I guess it could have been a weather-woman) was right. It was blowing snow and turning to ice the second it hit the ground. The thermometer in my car read 17 degrees and I knew it wasn’t going to get any warmer. If you know me, you know that I love the snow and the cold weather that accompanies it; I don’t know what it is about snow but I just love it and every winter I pray for more and more of it! But that Tuesday night I was mad it was snowing, like really, really mad. I kept thinking about my friends and how less than ideal this weather was for them. I was mad at God, saying things like “Yesterday we prayed for the snow to pass over Denver,” and “Lord, you know what situation they’re in. Why does it have to snow tonight? And on top of that get down to 10 below zero overnight. Why, Lord? Why? It just doesn’t make sense.”
Then the Holy Spirit hit me like a hurricane and I was speechless. I had a nice quite time in my car with the Lord and realized that He wanted me to move. Instead of complaining about the circumstances of the night and being mad, He wanted me to move, to act, and to stop sitting around. But I pleaded, “It’s just not super convenient for me to do something tonight. It’s almost 10:00 o’clock and I’d still have to go to Walmart before I head down there.” None of it mattered because I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt I knew, exactly what the Lord wanted me to do before I went home that night.
I drove to the nearest Walmart, walked in and grabbed what I needed. Before I left I felt the Spirit again, “Go back and get one more. You’re going to need four,” and honestly my initial reaction was embarrassing; I was irritated. I tried justifying my actions by saying, “But I already have three. I only need one for Bill-Bo, Sheila and Ryan. A fourth one just won't be necessary.” Being the stubborn person that I am, I continued to the checkout with only three items in my cart but right before I got in line I knew that I needed four. Ugh. So I walked back through the store and grabbed one more. Still slightly irritated saying things like, “I can’t really even afford one of these let alone four. I sure hope you know what you’re doing up there.” And like always, He proved me wrong and showed me why in fact, I did need an extra one.
I hopped on Santa Fe and headed downtown. I started praying over my Walmart bags and my friends that I was about to visit. I prayed that the Lord would be in every single moment of my night with them and that He would use my purchases to keep my friends safe, stable and healthy in this frigid weather. I prayed that the Lord would walk with me as I met with my friends and I prayed that He would protect me and remind me of His plans for my life. I can’t explain the rest of the drive to you and how good it felt to be with the Lord and be 100% sure that I was walking in obedience with Him. I can’t explain to you why I didn’t feel scared or uncertain or even nervous going downtown by myself at 10 o'clock at night. I just knew that because this is what the Lord had planned for me, and because I was obeying Him, I would be okay.
I parked my car, walked around the corner and went up to my friends’ place. They were already sleeping so I just whispered that I had brought them a few things and wanted to drop them off. Now I was only expecting to see Bill-Bo, Sheila and Ryan, but then I noticed an unfamiliar face and had an “ah-ha” moment with the Lord. “This is why I needed four,” I said to myself and laughed at my stubbornness. I spent some time chatting with my friends, asking them how they were, how things were going and where they were yesterday since I didn’t see them last night like I normally would on Monday nights. They were extremely grateful for my visit and were super friendly, like always. I walked away smiling and praising the Lord for His goodness.
I left shortly after I had arrived and sat in my car with a thankful heart. Thank you Lord for burdening my heart tonight but more importantly, thank you for giving me the wisdom and courage to obey you. I was kind of speechless and in awe that I actually did it, that I actually listened to my father without an ounce of hesitation. All I could think about on my way home was a sermon I had heard at FUEL a couple months back. I don’t remember what series we were in or even what the talk was about that night, but I do remember one thing; Jess said something to the degree of, “The good samaritan didn’t leave his house that day knowing he would help that man on the side of the road. It was actually probably out of his way to help the man. And it probably made him late for his coffee date, lunch date or business meeting but he stopped anyways. He knew it wasn’t convenient for him but he stopped. He stopped because he knew that the Lord had put him there for a reason.” That’s all I could think about as I drove home Tuesday night. It was 100% out of my way to go downtown and visit my friends, it cut into my sleep time, it cost me money I didn’t have, it wasn’t convenient and I hadn’t ‘scheduled’ time for it therefore I didn’t want to do it. But I did. And because I did, because I obeyed, I was able to experience the presence of the Lord that night in a very real way.
None of this is about me. This blog isn’t intended for me to boast about my life and my own experiences. It is all about the Lord and how he is working in my heart to show me new things and let me experience Him in ways I normally wouldn’t. That is why I left out a lot of details and kept things very vague. The details aren't important. What is important is that because I listened to the call on my heart that night I got to experience the Lord differently than I ever had and I was given a glimpse of what His Kingdom is truly intended for. This blog is about the Lord and what He promises us when we simply obey.
Seriously you guys, the Lord will work in your heart if you let Him. I know some of this might sound strange to you, and you're thinking to yourself ‘You felt the Spirit?’ or ‘You heard the Lord say? ...Yeah, right.’ Yes, I understand this might sound kooky and weird, but Christianity isn’t about being normal and blending in with everyone else. It’s about jumping (yes, jumping) out of your comfort zone and doing things that others might not. Christianity is about doing. Doing what the Lord calls us to. Doing what others won’t. Doing things that we don’t understand but know in our hearts is the Lord’s work. Doing. Moving. Getting out there and Kingdom building.
I challenge you to go out of your way for someone this week. Even if the act is small, I challenge you to be open to the Lord’s calling on heart. Because here’s the deal, when we obey and give him 100% control of our lives, He does some pretty gnarly and radical things. So ask Him. Ask Him to take you out of your comfort zone and reveal to you the man on the side of the road from Luke chapter 10.
Drowning in His mercies,
-V
Joshua 1:9