No Plans, Just Events

Charlie's description of our family:  We don’t have plans we have events.

We didn’t even plan to have this as a family motto….it’s just the result of 29 years of events.

This is us, I suppose.

Making decisions is not my favorite.  Especially when I feel the pressure is on and the stakes are high.

At this point, on most days, I don’t feel qualified to decide what kind of milk to buy.

It’s not that we haven’t had some big decisions in life; it’s just that we seem to avoid them until it’s narrowed down to about 1 option and that’s what we decide. 

There have been a few things that we have had to DECIDE, and not just rely on events happening.

We have decided to follow Jesus.

 He is the best decision we have ever made. 

The big decisions for our family have been made through prayer and fighting and then active pursuit; intentional movement.

  We have felt guided by the Lord in the big decisions but also knowing that He won’t abandon us or be mad at us no matter what we decide, but we risk missing out.

The decision to follow Him is one we make and actively pursue every day. 

It would be easy to fall into the trap of sitting still and just hang on for heaven.

I don’t think that is a true definition of “following Him” which is what he invited us to do.

Following requires paying attention to where the person is that you are following. 

 Following requires staying focused on Who you are following and moving in step with who you are following.

 The most gorgeous blessings we have ever received have come in saying yes to some big decisions that did not make sense AT ALL, such as when we said yes to that first mission trip, or our adopted kids, or a move to Montana.

We have felt led and guided into these big decisions, by God, but they have all come at a great price and the payoff has been enormous.

Mark 10:28-31 The Message (MSG)

²⁸ Peter tried another angle: “We left everything and followed you.”

^29-31 Jesus said, “Mark my words, no one who sacrifices house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, land—whatever—because of me and the Message will lose out. They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times in homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and land—but also in troubles. And then the bonus of eternal life! This is once again the Great Reversal: Many who are first will end up last, and the last first.”

I used to think this verse only applied to moving onto the mission field or planting a church or something of that nature.  I now think it looks different for everyone, I think it’s a decision to follow Jesus, surrender our lives and all our decisions to Him; and to be in tune to where He is leading and then courageous enough to walk it out.

I have prayed often as I literally run around in circles lately, that we can know what God is leading us to, and then give us the guts to GO and FOLLOW His lead.

I have feared we got it wrong when things don't turn out the way we thought, but now I don’t think we can get it wrong if we are surrendered, trying to listen and obey.  God is big enough to cover for our hearing issues and those of us who are directionally challenged. When things don’t go like we thought they would, this is the “troubles” this translation of this verse is referring too.

 

Each day as I see our kids having to adjust to not only their new school but a new way of life and how they have had to give up a ton, I have to look beyond what I can see with my eyes and what I can see at this moment and trust in what God is doing. 

 I can say with complete confidence and JOY 

– thru lots of tears of all kinds -

 the hardest decisions have brought about the biggest blessings.

I also keep thinking God is getting us ready for more, that we weren’t able to “train” for where we were.

  I believe He is just training us for the next thing, the next part of our journey, and we just weren’t quite ready and needed some more training on rougher terrain along with some precious GRAND bonding and BIG support before the next leg of our race.

  

 We didn’t leave because God said leave or He would be mad, because He would still love us and care for us not matter what our decisions are, His love and grace are never dependent on our decisions….we moved because our lives are surrendered to Him, and steady by jerks, with skinned knees and bruised foreheads, we are doing our best to follow Him in the way that He leads us.

Our prayer for several years has been,

“Don’t let us miss what you have for us, Lord.”

My stomach gets nauseous at the thought that we could have missed out on some of the greatest blessings God had for us if we hadn't lost our minds and made the decision to follow Him into deep and wild waves.

I also have to wonder and realize that we have missed out on some stuff, but instead of letting that trip me up, it makes me want to listen more intently and GO harder.