Parked or Driving?

Have you ever wondered how you are ever supposed to know where God wants you to serve Him in life?

This past week during missions conference, I had the privilege of talking with a couple missionary ladies and asking them various questions regarding missions work and ministry. One of the questions I asked was along the lines of "How did you know for sure that the ministry you're in now is where God wants you?"

In answering this great and deep question, one of the ladies gave an illustration that produced a very vivid picture of how a believer should go about seeking God's direction in life: it is as if you're a parked car out in the parking lot. If the car is parked, no matter how much one turns the steering wheel, it really won't go anywhere. However, if the motor is running and the car is headed down the driveway, turning the steering wheel one way or the other will result in the car heading that direction. For the believer, it is important to keep busy wherever he is. If he is "moving down the road" or actively serving the Lord wherever he is, then the Lord will "turn the steering wheel" or direct him. However, if the believer is like a parked car, simply sitting around, twiddling his thumbs and waiting for God to drop a sign in front of him that tells him exactly where he needs to be, he won't get anywhere!

Sometimes in my life, I can get impatient: I want to know exactly where God wants me, how He wants me to serve Him; I don't want any question marks in my future. Rather, I want to know it all now. I want to have it all mapped out and know exactly what I am supposed to do and how I am to do it. But I have to face it: that isn't how God works. Rather, He wants me to simply be faithful where I am right now. Then He will lead me to where He wants me. He wants me to be driving, not parked in the CBI parking lot.

To give further explanation to my previous post, here's something to think about:

When a person loves someone (in that kind of way), whenever that other person is around, do they have to consciously think "I have to focus on him/her"? No. In fact, probably anytime that person is in the same room, their eyes are just naturally drawn towards that other person. With this in mind, now consider the effects of a deep and sincere love for the Lord. Wouldn't it be the natural thing to then have one's life centered around Him and one's focus set on Him instead of the circumstances around them? And the more a believer gets to know the God that he loves,

the more his love for Him increases!

As I think about this and how often I get distracted in my spiritual walk, I have to ask myself:

If I'm having trouble keeping my focus on the Lord, what does that indicate about my love for the Lord?

What is the focus of your focus?

Instead of trying to focus on "focusing" on the Lord,

focus on loving the Lord--a focus on the Lord will then be the natural result.

Sometimes it is hard to seek God's best in one's life. It has a price. It requires counting the cost.

Seeking God's best may not always produce immediate, visible results. It is a case of physical versus the spiritual; the temporary versus the eternal.

God's best far outweighs any of the immediate pleasures of the best that the world has to offer. The decisions of today will have far-reaching effects on the rest of my life. Remind me of this truth when when I am tempted to give up seeking God's best in trade for the temporary benefits, to question whether the ultimate goal is worth the price that it demands of me.

Lord, remind me not to settle for anything less than Your best, no matter how difficult it may be.

"when I grow up..."

It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that I distinctly remember being envious of a friend who was seven, when I was six, or thinking how I would be so grown up when I turned sixteen. Both of those ages have come and gone, and now I am twenty-one.

All of a sudden, from one day to the next, the world now considers me to be an adult: With a few exceptions, I now have pretty much all the privileges of any other adult. All of a sudden, friends my own age are getting married, others are considering and making decisions that will have an affect on the rest of their life, and still others are being faced with real-life issues that cannot be handled with just a kiss and a hug from mommy.

The “when I grow up” of my childhood years seems to be looming closer and closer. The perks are exciting and thrilling, yet at the same time, somewhat scary and unsettling. Suddenly, all of those things that I dreamed of doing “when I grow up” that seemed like they were so far away, now almost seem to be within my grasp--they are no longer simply a distant speck in the horizon. Life seems to be becoming more real.

Why can't I just fly to Never, Never Land and forever be a kid? I feel so young, so unprepared, so incapable of living life as an adult and facing the responsibilities that come with it. Turning 21 has made me think about my life now and my future: it's scary, but I'm

excited. I'm not facing life by myself, for I am never alone. God is by my side

each step of the way. Already, there have been times when I feel so weak and inadequate to

fulfill the responsibilities that I have been given. However, I know that it is in my weakness

that His "strength is made perfect."

"When I grow up" is becoming more of a reality than simply a favorite childish pass-time of

day-dreaming about the future. Is it scary to think of growing up and being held responsible as

an adult now? Yes, to some extent, it is, but I'm excited about discovering more about the

great God that I serve and seeing how He will guide throughout the next few months and

years of my life.

(please forgive the terrible formatting of the last few paragraphs...I'm not sure what happened to make

it act up like this!)