God showed up BIG time this weekend. He showed up in a way that was perfect to bring our weary souls back to reality.
I've mentioned before that since moving our lives have been crazy busy. Crazy busy like we have never known before. After my daughter's game on Saturday we were told we are adding another night to our schedule for practice (since our previous practice night is now a game night). Our first thought was you can't be serious!? That now leaves... O.N.E. night a week we have NOTHING going on. ONE and by nothing I mean no set time we are to be somewhere for someone. This one night we have available is ending up to be Friday's. It's also a night that every other week should be grocery night. It's also our weekly family movie campout night. (I'll have to share more on that later)
The whole thought of one night a week with nothing was very daunting to us. As humans we were thinking there has to be something we can quit. I am ashamed to say we thought we needed to quit our Sunday night Small Group that we had just started to attend. Ha, God had other plans.
Isn't that how it always works?
Yesterday's Sermon was actually taught by our Small Groups Leader and boy did he lay a hammer down he didn't even know he was laying. God's 2x4 of grace for our poor hearts being in the wrong places was so needed. We sat there through the whole message saying man that hurt! A good hurt.
The message was about being adopted into God's family and how we aren't orphans anymore. What stung was our SG's leader was mentioning how our orphan selves look at the "whoa is me" stance. Anxiety about change, isolation from all, hide our real selves or secrets from others... that is to say when someone asks "how are you?" Don't just say "ok or all is good." Be honest with them. Say "You know I'm really having a hard time or have a super rough week." BE REAL.
But that isn't the part that hit the most. You see while all of his examples (way more than I just mentioned) were fantastic eye openers and just "wow" illustrations what hit us the most was when he said "Society can not know how to love like Christ, or know that we are loving and living like Christ if we aren't connected to people to love on." Here we were thinking we needed to disconnect from a part of God's body so we could have an extra night to just "breathe" and God smacks us saying... "yes, while that is important I want you right here, right now, and fully submerged and connected with these people on these days."
Ok, Lord we're listening.
One of the points our SG's leader made was we are a people/society/etc that is always looking to be reassured of ourselves. Because we are born orphans we are always looking for security or someone to reassure us. We played into this very role when after service we walked up to our SG's leader to ask his advice on what to do about our newly insane schedule. Ha, he didn't give us the "it's ok we'll see you have the softball season is over" talk like we thought he would. HA, not even!! He said "I'd figure out how to either do it all or drop the sports. We'll talk about it TONIGHT at group" and left it at that. There was God again showing us that group and staying in it was exactly where HE wants us to be. We went last night and it was POWERFUL, needed, and refreshing for our souls.
While we aren't going to be cutting out our daughter's 4 nights a week softball OR our 2 nights a week Bible studies we have realized that we need to handle the busyness better. We need to be more aware of each other and God in everything that he has plugged us into. There is a reason why he is giving us this load. We have not handled it very well up until now, but we plan on changing that. We plan on being immersed in the body of Christ, being real, and loving and growing to all the potential God has for us.
Crazy right???
What if God moved us here strictly for this church??? This new body and community we are plugged into. What if God moved us here to dig into a ministry role like my husband has been feeling strongly since attending this church? God is using our Small Group's leader in ways right now that is blowing our minds. He is approaching us with words he has felt from God for us about ministry that my husband hasn't shared with anyone that he has been feeling the pull for. What if all that is going on with my husband's company right now has nothing to do with us and the bigger picture God is laying out for us??
What if these very points are in answer to the very question I asked just the other day... God what is it you have for us here!?
While it stinks to be away from the body of Christ we so dearly love and miss back home God hit me with all of this above this weekend to remind of the very thing I hold dear to my heart. A message our first Pastor said one sermon... "You most likely will never stay in the same church you have grown in for forever. God will move you and it will be uncomfortable and sad. He will move to another church and possibly another (or more), but with each move it is only to build you. To strengthen you. (As long as you are moving with his will and not church jumping because you are offended.... there is a difference) But you will take the growth you have had from this church and you will take that and bless the next church you go to, and if God moves you again you will take the previous and new growth to bless and grow in the next. Each step strengthening and growing along the way."
What if God only moved us here for this church? What if God only moved us here to build upon the growth we had back home and to move us into this community that is the one that can help flourish and produce the Will he has for our lives?
Powerful things to think about. At least for us.
God has a plan for us. A B.I.G. plan... we feel it! It's going to scare us and blow our minds at the same time. God solidified to us this weekend that while we miss and love our friends back home we are absolutely embraced and loved here deeply. Even already. The kingdom and family of God is something else and I am so blessed to be chosen to be apart of it.
I can't wait to see all God has to reveal and grow in us.
It's going to be AMAZING!
I'll close with this. Last night after we got home from group and laid the kids down my husband went looking for a verse one of our old Pastor's spoke on. I love when you can't quite remember the verse but you remember the book what God reveals in those moments. My husband came upon this verse, came to me to show me, and we both sat in awe of God.
"Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." Habakkuk 1:5
C R A Z Y huh!!!????
The icing if you will... this verse comes right under a heading section in Scripture titled "The Lord's Answer" to Habakkuk's complaint in previous verses.
God is crazy good. He is up to something and we are excited!!
This song below was the last song we sang in Worship yesterday. We sing it often but yesterday... WOW. It was intense and awesome! Not a dry eye when it was over. God moved yesterday and it was glorious!! Just had to share one of our favorites. This video actually depicts exactly how it was in our service yesterday with this song. So moving!!
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