Lessons in the Time of Preparation: Do What is in Front of Me
This lesson came partially from a change at work and partially from a sermon I listened to by Banning Liebscher titled "Thriving in the Process." That was the Sunday I was between churches (a very long story, and I don't think the time is right to write about it), my parents were down at the Outer Banks (yes, without me...thanks a lot, school and work!), and I had just worked a double shift the day before and also the night before that. I was tired, didn't feel like finding a church to visit, and clicked around on YouTube until I found this sermon.
For a little background first, the job change. I can't go into too much detail because I respect my place of employment, but when my department (waitressing) that I love working in suddenly became responsible for a different, monotonous, and brain-deadening job, there were many who refused to do it and few who said yes. I was one of those (unfortunately for me) nice ones who didn't refuse. So, I was only doing the job I loved once every two weeks and doing the job I greatly disliked the rest of the time because there wasn't very many other people to do it.
So that Sunday I settled in to listen to Banning talk on the process (the slightly disgruntling time I find myself in), and I found a bit of...correction? direction? I'm not quite sure what to term it. But there it was, clearly listed in the notes I took.
...many times we miss what God is doing in our lives because we don't look in front of us, we look everywhere else...recognize what the Lord has put in front of you and do it well...success is 'God, what's my assignment,' and do that well...even when you do it in secret, and no one sees what the Lord's put in you, do it well...if you're not there, it's because He doesn't want you there...God opens doors and closes doors, and He's really good at both of those things...don't rush the process...God's process is not linear...it all comes down to trust...the process is the grace of God in your life...He is passionate about your growth, not your comfort...If you're in the process, be encouraged...If you're being stretched, be encouraged...if you're doing a job you don't like, be encouraged.
I'm sure you can understand how that spoke volumes to me. It doesn't mean that I immediately loved my despised job or that I was always as accepting and joyful in it as I should be (because I am SO human, and sometimes when it's a lousy day at work, it's hard not to let it just be a lousy day and wallow in some self-pity and grumpiness). But I tried, and continue to struggle in trying, because I want to do what God has in front of me. I don't want to miss any lessons along the way.
It's very hard for me, and others I know, to look right in front of me instead of farther away, constantly searching for what God has planned next. But then that means that I miss what is right in front of me. I don't want to miss that! I love how Banning describes God's process as not linear. That was quite an encouragement and allowed me to see that even when it doesn't make sense to me, and it may not seem like the right order or like things are moving at all, God views movement in a totally different sense than I do!
And thank the Lord for that, because I totally mess things up when I listen to my sense of movement and direction!
For a little background first, the job change. I can't go into too much detail because I respect my place of employment, but when my department (waitressing) that I love working in suddenly became responsible for a different, monotonous, and brain-deadening job, there were many who refused to do it and few who said yes. I was one of those (unfortunately for me) nice ones who didn't refuse. So, I was only doing the job I loved once every two weeks and doing the job I greatly disliked the rest of the time because there wasn't very many other people to do it.
So that Sunday I settled in to listen to Banning talk on the process (the slightly disgruntling time I find myself in), and I found a bit of...correction? direction? I'm not quite sure what to term it. But there it was, clearly listed in the notes I took.
...many times we miss what God is doing in our lives because we don't look in front of us, we look everywhere else...recognize what the Lord has put in front of you and do it well...success is 'God, what's my assignment,' and do that well...even when you do it in secret, and no one sees what the Lord's put in you, do it well...if you're not there, it's because He doesn't want you there...God opens doors and closes doors, and He's really good at both of those things...don't rush the process...God's process is not linear...it all comes down to trust...the process is the grace of God in your life...He is passionate about your growth, not your comfort...If you're in the process, be encouraged...If you're being stretched, be encouraged...if you're doing a job you don't like, be encouraged.
I'm sure you can understand how that spoke volumes to me. It doesn't mean that I immediately loved my despised job or that I was always as accepting and joyful in it as I should be (because I am SO human, and sometimes when it's a lousy day at work, it's hard not to let it just be a lousy day and wallow in some self-pity and grumpiness). But I tried, and continue to struggle in trying, because I want to do what God has in front of me. I don't want to miss any lessons along the way.
It's very hard for me, and others I know, to look right in front of me instead of farther away, constantly searching for what God has planned next. But then that means that I miss what is right in front of me. I don't want to miss that! I love how Banning describes God's process as not linear. That was quite an encouragement and allowed me to see that even when it doesn't make sense to me, and it may not seem like the right order or like things are moving at all, God views movement in a totally different sense than I do!
And thank the Lord for that, because I totally mess things up when I listen to my sense of movement and direction!
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