When my girls were little and my brain was turning to mush, a neighbor invited me to a women’s bible study at her church. Frankly, she had my full attention and grateful acquiescence the minute she said the words “free child care.” Being the parent of little people made me tired, so “free child care” was really all I needed to hear before saying yes to almost anything in those early parenting years. In fact, I think I may have ended up with an unwanted gym membership around that time.
Months turned into years and I found my participation in these bible studies to be a much-needed source of connection, community, and intellectual stimulation. Digging around in these ancient texts and meeting together with others similarly engaged was a lifeline for me, socially, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Eventually, we started offering similarly formatted bible studies (and free child care) at my own church and I became more and more capitivated by God’s word as revealed in the Bible.
However, after several years, I began to get restless. I was leading bible studies, teaching Sunday School and doing all manner of other “church lady” activities. I was teaching my kids about Jesus, inviting my neighbors to bible study and making an occasional casserole. I was praying regularly and trying really hard to cultivate the famous fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Occasionally, I even demonstrated these characteristics in dealing with my kids and my husband. Wasn’t this what I was supposed to be doing? Wasn’t I being obedient in all the things I was learning in the bible? I didn’t understand why I had this nagging sense of discontent.
Here was the problem: the more I immersed myself in the scriptures, particularly the things that Jesus said, the more I began to suspect that I might be missing the point. Apparently, being comfortable and happy was not the ultimate goal. My personal salvation was only part of the story. Feeling all the warm and fuzzy feelings was a lovely by-product of faith, but not the reason Jesus came. Jesus wasn’t talking about blessing the blessed or further educating people who already knew Him. He was preaching about radical, hard things like feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, loving my enemies and binding up the broken-hearted. Jesus loved and spent time with the poor, the unclean, the lepers and the sinners.
I was mostly hanging out with other middle-class church ladies just like me.
What was I to do with this confusion, discomfort and dissatisfaction? What did God expect me to do with these difficult things Jesus was saying? Was He really serious about this Sermon on the Mount stuff? Did He really mean what He said in Matthew 25? Isaiah 58, really? Did He expect me to move to Africa? What about my kids? What if I couldn’t plug in my hot rollers? Why couldn’t I just be satisfied doing my work around the church?
Recently, I read Jen Hatmaker’s book “Interrupted,” and I found these words that perfectly describe how I was feeling during those restless days:
How was I to serve in the new way of the Spirit? What did that mean? And if that service involved me going instead of them coming, I was leaving my safety zone, where I know the rules and had collaborators, where I was a little popular and God was the soup du jour. I wasn’t sure what to do. So I asked.
It appeared that, at the very least, I was going to have to step outside of the church building.
In May of 2008, I was still wrestling with God and paralyzed by my need to have a plan, a blueprint of just what exactly He was up to in my life. To be honest, Jesus’s words were starting to wreck my comfortable Christianity. I had been perfectly happy in the safety of my suburban church and then I wasn’t anymore. In this frame of mind, I read these words in the Priscilla Shirer study I was doing at the time:
Our motto should be “Whatever He says to you, do it.” If you are ready to make this motto your own, write it in the margin. Sign and date it as a reminder of when you made this commitment.
Initially, I wouldn’t write those words. I knew God had been pushing me, but I still wasn’t clear on His plan. I needed to know what the “whatever” was before I would agree. I needed details. I needed answers. I was comfortable in the safe familiar, why should I sign up for the unknown?
But what else had I learned during my time studying scripture?
- God has a plan for my life. A plan to give me a hope and a future.
- I can be bold and unafraid because God will never leave me or forsake me.
- I will find Him when I seek Him with my whole heart.
- God has not given me a spirit of fear or timidity, but a spirit of power and of love and of self-control.
- If I remain connected to Him, I will have abundant life.
- The Kingdom of God is near.
If I believed these scriptures, shouldn’t I be willing to trust Him, no matter what? Even if I didn’t know all the details?
So finally, on May 12, 2008 (I still have the book) I wrote the words “Whatever He says to me, I will do it” in the margin of my study book and I signed it. I don’t know where you are sending me, Jesus, but I will go. I say Yes.
Even if it means leaving the safety of the church building.
2 months later, in July of 2008, through a series of “coincidences” completely unrelated, I found my way to the Lamb Center for the first time.
I have been leading bible study every Tuesday afternoon at the LC since that first day in July of 2008. This year, I am also serving as Chair of the Board of Directors and we are in the process of building a new, bigger building to better serve our guests. It is exciting and meaningful work and I feel most alive on Tuesday afternoons around that table. I share this not to boast of my meager efforts, but to highlight God’s crazy providence and extravagant generosity. He is willing and eager to involve us in His adventures. When I whispered my tremulous Yes, He pointed to the door He had already opened for me.
God has used this humble place to change me. I look at the world differently now and I trust God more. My friends at The Lamb Center have continued to reveal the Kingdom and God’s perfect love to me in ways I find hard to put into words. From the selfless staff and volunteers, I have seen real-life examples of how we can be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need it most. I believe God still works miracles and I believe His Kingdom is worth fighting for every day.
And I believe God can and will use comfortable middle-class church ladies as part of His plan to love the broken and heal the hurting. What a privilege!
I am ready for the next adventure! How about you?
Is your comfort making you uncomfortable? What is God preparing you to do next? What would it take for you to say Yes to your next assignment? Are you ready to go on adventure with God?
Thank you to Suzanne Eller once again for the writing prompt for our wonderful #LiveFreeThursday community. Please visit #LiveFreeThursday this week to read some of the other amazing posts on the theme, But If You Say So.
I am in a season of uncomfortable now because of transition with many things in my life. It can at times be exhausting to think of all the change coming down the pike but good knowing He is in control! Thanks for sharing these words with us! (Your neighbor at #LiveFreeThrusday)
Thanks for stopping by, Rachel! Change is indeed exhausting and I am not always a fan. It is a relief though, as you said, to remember that He will go with us into whatever changes lie ahead.
What an inspiring post, Kelly! Being in youth ministry, and having mistakenly taken positions because “we” wanted them, taught us very quickly to completely surrender to where God wants us to be… always! He has never failed us as we walked in His will. May we always be willing and ready for God-sized adventures! Blessings!
Thanks for your encouraging words, Crystal. I love the phrase God-sized adventures and yes, may we always be willing and ready to hear when He calls us to them.
This: If I believed these scriptures, shouldn’t I be willing to trust Him, no matter what? Even if I didn’t know all the details?
Yes and yes again!
I still don’t like not knowing the details, but I am beginning to be excited by the unknown possibilities! Thanks for stopping by, Michelle!
I love this post. It’s where I’m living and rediscovering what my faith truly is all about.
Thank you so much for stopping by, Suzie! And thank you for the inspiration. A great writing prompt and a wonderful opportunity to look back and marvel at God’s fingerprints on my life. Loving the #LiveFreeThursday community. Thank you for your leadership 🙂
So, so good! Is my comfort making me uncomfortable! So convicting! Thanks for your words!
Thank you for stopping by! I’m glad that my musings sparked something for you. Isn’t it fun to see what God will use to speak to us?
THANK YOU KELLY! DAVE HAD TOLD ME YOUR STORY JUST BEFORE I SAW YOU AS I WAS GETTING READY TO LEAVE TLC AT NOON TODAY! I HAVE A SIMILAR STORY ABOUT HOW I CAME TO DO BIBLE STUDY THERE, ETC. YES, IT IS NOT ALWAYS A COMFORTABLE FEELING I HAVE WHEN THE LORD TELLS ME TO DO SOMETHING. AT LEAST WE ARE PROMISED THAT HE WILL NEVER GIVE US MORE THAN WE CAN HANDLE!
Thanks for stopping by the blog, Pete! Loved bumping into you today. Thank YOU for your service to the Lamb Center. What a lovely community we have. Aren’t we blessed? 🙂