I read the stories, see the films and pray that I would have the strength, courage and fortitude to stand up and do what is right because it is right. Do I do it now? I try to, to the best of my ability. But for me that means picking up an empty Dr. Pepper can in the church parking lot. It certainly is not fighting for the life of a complete stranger who is being persecuted.
I recently watched a film called Orchestra Of Exiles. It is about Bronislaw Huberman a Polish violinist. It is a very good film and I recommend watching it if you have the opportunity. Mr. Huberman created the Palestine Philharmonic as a way to get Jewish musicians out of Germany. However, it was the statement of Rosi Grunschlag that really stood out. Ms. Grunschlag's mother and brother had been rescued but she and her sister remained. She stated that "Somehow, God gives you extra courage. You don't know where it comes from but at that moment it gives you strength."
I have been haunted by that statement.
"Somehow, God gives you extra courage. You don't know where it comes from but at that moment it gives you strength."
I will be honest, I am a wimp. An extremely comfortable wimp. My life is good. I have a wonderful husband, a nice house, a good job, a great family and great friends. Yes, we live on a budget and I clip coupons and shop for sales but we have a lovely, comfortable life. I am happy, content and comfortable. I don't want to change anything about my life. And that is the problem.
What opportunity is God trying to give me that I keep flubbing because I am comfortable in the very spot I am in right now? You know that slightly worn space in your favorite chair that fits your tookus perfectly and makes you feel all comfy cozy? I think God may be telling me to get out of it.
Where is my courage? Could I, would I step outside of my very comfortable zone to try something crazy to further God's Kingdom?
The definition of comfortable as it applies to a person or situation is- producing mental comfort or ease, easy to accommodate oneself to.
Easy doesn't require great effort. I want some easy in my life. Life is crazy, sometimes easy is nice. Not because I am lazy, my parents instilled a crazy work ethic into my sister and I. It is because I am scared. Scared of the unknown and all that comes with it... I sometimes box my Christianity into a nice little package of Salvation. That is the only time I need to trust that God has got me. I am all good when I die because I know where I am going. I know unequivocally that God has control of that piece of my life. If I believe he has control and will not let me down on the most important aspect of my life- Why am I NOT trusting him to have control of all the other aspects and allowing him to push me out of the airplane, I mean my comfort zone?
Where is the extra courage that God gives me? Why am I so afraid of it? I need to wake up because Revelations 3:15-17 says:
"'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
The logical side of my brain is saying- because it is scary and I am afraid. But the spiritual side is screaming "Let it go! Listen to God, let him lead you into the purpose he has had designed for you since he thought of you. He HAS your back like he has for the past 32 years." (I am not crazy enough to put my actual age in writing on the internet! Then people would know.) :) Everything I have ever allowed him to have complete control over has enriched my life in ways I could never have dreamt possible at the time. And trust me, some of the things have been crazy.
I shared this story recently and I think it came up because God wants me to share it here. My husband is a Good Man. I got so lucky! He is a Good Man. He has made wise decisions in our married life that have blessed us immensely. We had been discussing selling our house and I never seemed to be able to get him to commit to putting it on the market. We discussed it and discussed it some more. We deliberated, argued and deliberated some more. He just would not make up his mind. I felt God telling me it was time in a way that it could not have been any clearer than if God had stood in front of me and said "Jody Lynn- I am putting the sign in your yard myself!" I convinced Brad to at least let me have a realtor come out and look at the house. After 1 hour of visiting with this realtor, I knew it was the right thing to do. I told him to put the sign in the yard. You can imagine my husband's surprise when he came home to a "For Sale" sign in the yard. He walked in and said "Honey, why is our house for sale?" I told him the truth, that I needed him to trust me that God was leading me to do this. It was time and we would not go wrong trusting God. His response- "Okay what's for supper?"
Side note- the answer to the what's for supper question should never be fish when you put your house on the market. It is like a magnet for potential buyers.
Our house sold 9 days later. He was comfortable and his comfort was holding him back. We now live in a neighborhood we used to drive by at Christmas and play "pretend like" we lived here. There was a huge purpose in God blessing us with our "pretend like" house. I am going to say this- we do not live in that neighborhood because God's sole purpose was to bless us with bigger and better because we did what we were supposed to... I do not believe that God's way of blessing us above and beyond means cars, cash, houses or materialistic things unless those things help us accomplish his goals and we are ready to be responsible with them. We were in this neighborhood playing pretend like at Christmas because his parents lived there, not because what we had was not good enough. Five months after moving into our house, in the neighborhood we never thought we could afford, my father-in-law was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. We live two miles from them. It takes a lot of stress off of my father-in-law, mother-in-law and us to be so close. We are able to better take care of them. God had a purpose for that "For Sale" sign in the yard. We almost missed it because of comfort.
I do not know what God's plan for me is but I am stepping out of my comfort zone. I am praying for his extra courage to give me strength and asking that he takes me where he wants me to go.
I will end with Isaiah 43: 1-3
But now, this is what the Lord says- he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
Love- j
