A few years ago,
before we moved to Haiti, my family had an amazing week that you just can’t
plan. God had been working in my heart for a few weeks prior. The day of the
call, the Spirit nudged me and said, “This is what I have been preparing your
heart for. I want you to say ‘Yes’” but of course we are given free will and can
make a different choice. I am so glad Bruce and I said “yes”.
A complete stranger
needed a place to stay for a week until she could move into her rental house as
her current living space was no longer available. We found out over the weekend
when we were out of town. Bruce and I discussed it and discovered the Spirit
had been working in both of us. We responded that she and her kids could stay
with us. A friend paid for them to stay in a hotel over the weekend. We
returned home early Sunday afternoon and started scurrying around the house
getting ready for our visitors.
They arrived
late afternoon just in time for dinner. I have to admit I was still a little nervous
inviting a family into my home of whom I knew absolutely nothing about but the
feeling soon subsided as everyone piled out of the car and settled into our
house. We gathered around our kitchen table and got to know each other over
pizza. During the week we hung out with the family, our kids played together,
and had dinner together every night. They were some of the most well-behaved
children we have ever met! It was SO much fun! As the week came to a close, we
were all sad to part ways but happy that they could move into their own home.
I write this
for three purposes:
Everyone is
made in the image of God. We are all equal in God’s sight and God doesn’t play
favorites. It doesn’t matter what someone’s financial status is, race,
education level, career, gender, age, etc. No one is more important than anyone
else. We all have a role in God’s kingdom. To give perspective, I am reminded
of a conversation I had with a homeless person in Chicago (former CEO of a
large company who got caught up in the fast life). He said it well, “You are
only 1 step away from where I am, but I am 20 steps away from where you
are.” What matters is what is in
someone’s heart. That week we were able to help a sister in Christ (we did not
know she was a Christ follower when she came into our home).
Second is to
encourage you to respond to the Spirit’s nudge if you aren’t doing so already.
If you are, keep it up! God’s plans are so much better than ours. He may not
ask you to do what we did but he has his own plans for you. God asks you to
listen and follow. This does require making a choice every single day to let go
of having control (yes, a big leap of faith but I would rather be where God
wants me to be than anywhere else) and letting God do his work. It doesn’t mean
life will be easy but it does mean he will be there with you every step of the
way to help you get through it. I have been
through absolutely beautiful situations and I have been through ugly situations
but I have seen God turn it all into his glory in his timing. He asks us to
follow. I have become more comfortable with being uncomfortable and I am now
uncomfortable being comfortable. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Several
people have told me that God only speaks through the Bible. Then how can you
call God all powerful? I am not willing to limit God by human perspective. There
any many stories in the Bible showing how God speaks in other ways. What we are
required to do is to check everything against the Bible to make sure what we
are hearing is from God and that requires knowing God’s Word. Nothing God says
will ever go against what he has spoken in the Bible.
I encourage
you to listen and see what plans God has for you. You might just be preparing
to have the best week of your life!
Let go and let God.
