When God Calls You to Action

So recently, I signed up for a half marathon. I would never have ever imagined myself running a half marathon, but I felt the push to do it because it is for a good cause. Had you asked me a year ago to do this, I would have given some poor excuse as to why I didn't want to do it this year. I was the queen of excuses. I think a lot of us can relate to being a master of excuses. This is too difficult. I can't afford to do this. I am too scared. I don't want to do this. We can even make ourselves believe that our excuses are solid reasons to not do something. I am not in good enough shape for this. I don't have enough experience for this yet. I don't think it's the right time for me to do this. I will do it later. We are really good at excuses, but the thing is, if we keep making excuses we can't face the challenges that cause us to grow and become better and stronger.

I know it is easy to ignore the challenges or to try and push them off. I know we don't like to go outside of our comfort zone. Why would we want to leave a perfectly comfortable situation to do something we don't even know if we can do, that will probably make us face a lot of difficult situations? Well think of it like this, what if Jesus decided not to face the challenges God presented Him with and He decided not to sacrifice Himself for us and teach us all how to live? What if Paul decided that He really didn't feel like traveling the world to spread the gospel? What if Mary and Joseph decided that they couldn't handle the pressure of raising the son of God? If all of these people decided not to face the challenges God wanted them to, we would not have the gospel and the salvation that we have today.

God doesn't challenge us or call us to move for no reason. He isn't bored and in need of a show. God calls us because He wants to use us. He wants to use us to impact others, to make change, and to better the world. Okay, so God calls people to move; what does this mean for us? You might be thinking, what can I do? I'm just an average person. What big thing could God use me for? Just an average person? You are so much more than that. If we look throughout the Bible, we see God calls the "average person" or the person we would never expect God to use, to achieve great things. Think of the virgin Mary. She was just a humble wife of a shepherd, but with God's work she became the mother to the Lord and Savior of our world. Look at Noah, he wasn't some rich king or influential and powerful leader, but when God spoke to him, He became that leader that no one thought he would become and he managed to protect life on earth when the flood hit. How about David? He was a tiny and weak boy who stepped up to the plate and when God moved in His heart, he defeated the giant and became a great king. You are not too "average". When God calls you to move, it is because He sees something great in you.

So what do you say? Are we going to remain still and not move? Are we going to run away from challenge or run full throttle into the endless possibility of growth? Are we going to shy away or be brave and trust God's will for us? You are capable of so much. You have strength that you have no idea is hidden within yourself. So when we feel the holy spirit calling us, let's not run away but run towards the call. As it says in Philippians 4:13 " I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

Being a Rose in a Field of Lillies

There is a famous phrase that goes "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?". It is one of my most favorite sayings and helps me remind myself of the importance of individuality. Individuality is something that I know we all struggle with. It is ingrained in us from a very young age to fit in. The kids who are different are bullied on the playground. When we reach middle school, we start developing cliques and the word "popular" comes to the surface. It continues on into high school and even after, despite the fact that we think we are over that stage in our lives.

The very same idea of fitting in goes with a life following Christ. In Romans 12:2 it talks about how we as Christians are in the world and not of it. Sometimes, I know it can feel like that doesn't hold very true. Sometimes, I know it feels like we have gotten sucked up into the worries, ways, and beliefs of the world and we lose our sense of self. I've been there so many times, that if it were a diner, the servers would know my order by heart and have it ready for me when I walk in the door. The point is, we all lose focus and direction and need to reroute to get back on track.

What I want you guys to know, is that no matter how many times we get lost in the race of life. No matter how many wrong turns we take, how many pit stops we take, how many times we have to ask for help, our destination doesn't change. To bring it back to the cliche high school movies, our goal is not to fit in. Our goal is not to win that popularity contest. Our goal is so different and so wonderful! While others are in a competition to be the top dog, our job is to love the underdog......and the top dog. When we are tempted to cut someone down to look better in front of others, our job is to remind ourselves that we are made to be humble and kind. When everyone imitates the Queen B longing so much to be like her and to gain her approval, we are meant to be the "odd ones out" because it is not the Queen B's approval that we seek.

Matthew 5:16 says we are supposed to shine our light for others to see. We are not meant to get lost in the crowd, but rather to lead others away from the crowd. If this were high school, we'd be the rebels. We'd be the game changers. The cool thing is, we're not all in high school. The crummy thing is, we still feel that pressure to fit in. The cooler thing is, even though we feel that pressure to fit in, we know that God wants us to stand out. The coolest thing is, if we come to God and seek Him with all of our hearts, He will give us the strength, courage, and confidence to be bold and stand out. How cool is that? So what do you say? Are we going to be bold?