I've been thinking a lot about the future and the past lately. The pastor at the church I attend did a sermon last week talking about second chances, but in the bigger scheme of life. He also talked a lot about taking action instead of only praying about things and waiting for a tangible, obvious answer.
It is most definitely good to pray over something and to take time to think things through, but it is also important to take actions. And to take risks.
In my own life, I am realizing that sometimes in order to just cope with the current reality, I find myself putting a band-aid (if you will) on a problem that essentially needs a more drastic course of action. I also know I'm not alone in this predicament.
Today I was talking with a friend about how sometimes you have to just do something entirely different than whatever it is you've been trying. And while I have many moments where I wish I could pull up Google and ask it what to do next, I realize that I can't no matter how much I'd like to - I simply need to try something different.
Sometimes I think God leads us down a very non-traditional path to where we are heading so that we not only learn to trust, but so that we can actually see that all of our self-doubt has no foundation whatsoever. That we really can be or do so much more than we could ever dream or imagine.
Just a thought.
-Lisa
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label church. Show all posts
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Message Received
I visited church with a friend this morning and heard something I so needed to hear, but didn't realize it. The sermon was on the story of Peter stepping out of the boat and walking on the water with Jesus (that's an enormous paraphrase by the way - see Matt. Ch. 15 vs 22-33).
Anyway...the pastor was talking about how in life so many times people stay in the boat so to speak, but how some people actually take a chance and step out on faith and get out of the boat - no matter what the result may be. Then he said that just by stepping out of the boat to begin with, we alter our future.
That caught my attention. I love the story about Peter walking on the water to Jesus and it came to mean more to me when I first moved out to Los Angeles. But after moving back to Texas...to make a long story short, I've struggled a lot with feeling like I took a leap of faith only to end up right back where I was to begin with, which is a place I couldn't stand to begin with (to be frank - and why mince words at this point?).
I never stopped to consider that, even if I can't see it right now, my future is not what it would have been had I not gone to California. I knew I was different, that I'd come into my own if nothing else, but I don't think I'd considered that the future I would like to see is still possible. And how I needed so much to hear that all was not lost.
It's interesting the way that God can prompt us to go somewhere, visit someone, or even check out a church at the exact moment when we're going to hear the sort of reassurance our soul is longing for the most.
The other thing this morning got me to thinking about is taking risks...
Sometimes we are called upon to look at our life - maybe a specific situation or just in general - and assess what (& occasionally who) we have in our life and if the "what" or "who" fits with who we want to be - or maybe more specifically who you know deep in your soul that you are despite your current situation.
Perhaps sometimes we are not simply called to step out of the boat. Perhaps we are called to jump ship when it's really a choice of thriving or drowning.
Just a thought.
-Lisa
Anyway...the pastor was talking about how in life so many times people stay in the boat so to speak, but how some people actually take a chance and step out on faith and get out of the boat - no matter what the result may be. Then he said that just by stepping out of the boat to begin with, we alter our future.
That caught my attention. I love the story about Peter walking on the water to Jesus and it came to mean more to me when I first moved out to Los Angeles. But after moving back to Texas...to make a long story short, I've struggled a lot with feeling like I took a leap of faith only to end up right back where I was to begin with, which is a place I couldn't stand to begin with (to be frank - and why mince words at this point?).
I never stopped to consider that, even if I can't see it right now, my future is not what it would have been had I not gone to California. I knew I was different, that I'd come into my own if nothing else, but I don't think I'd considered that the future I would like to see is still possible. And how I needed so much to hear that all was not lost.
It's interesting the way that God can prompt us to go somewhere, visit someone, or even check out a church at the exact moment when we're going to hear the sort of reassurance our soul is longing for the most.
The other thing this morning got me to thinking about is taking risks...
Sometimes we are called upon to look at our life - maybe a specific situation or just in general - and assess what (& occasionally who) we have in our life and if the "what" or "who" fits with who we want to be - or maybe more specifically who you know deep in your soul that you are despite your current situation.
Perhaps sometimes we are not simply called to step out of the boat. Perhaps we are called to jump ship when it's really a choice of thriving or drowning.
Just a thought.
-Lisa
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