Laura and Davey, an amazing couple who have been my small group/Bible study leaders for the past year and a half, are leaving Vancouver at the end of June. They'll be packing up their small family and moving south, to North Carolina, where Dave was offered an amazing job as a university professor. I'm still in a state of denial and am so sad to see them go ... but, alas, so goes the life of a Christian. God calls, we follow. God calls and we pack up our families, rearrange our entire lives and start anew. We chase after Christ, wherever that may lead us.
Two thousand years ago, Jesus said to his disciples "follow me" and the Savior has been giving us that same message ever since. Follow, follow, follow. Trust and obey and go where you're called. Easier said than done, I know. And trust me, I really *do* know. The more I've gotten to know Jesus, the further away he's led me from the plan I had drafted out for my life.
"You want to study law? Follow me. I want you to study theology."
"You want to marry so-and-so. Follow me. First, you're going to have a horrible break-up and then I want you to be single for the next 4 years."
"You want to move to New York City? Follow me. I want you in Vancouver."
"You want to work full-time in a Christian environment? Follow me. I want you to work full-time in a strictly secular office."
I've learned that sometimes God leads us to the most amazing places that exceed our wildest expectations. Other times, we're led down into valleys that are so dark we're not sure we'll ever find our way back out. We're taken straight to that one place we *really* didn't want to go to and we question Christ's authority in our lives and try to find shortcuts to get to the path we think we should be on.
But - be it on a mountain peak or in a dark valley - if we follow Christ we will always be exactly where He wants us. And when we are right where He wants us, He will use us. And when he uses us, He will be glorified and lives will be changed. And, at the end of the day, that's all that really matters.
I will admit that this is definitely a little "pep talk to myself" kind of blog post because I've been struggling with what it truly means to follow God. I love living in Vancouver. I LOVE this city and everything about it and I would be perfectly happy to live here for the rest of my life until the day I die. But, recently, I've had a catch in my spirit and have felt God challenging me in my obedience.
"Would you go somewhere new if I called you there?" He's been asking.
"Why?" I answer reluctantly. "Are you calling me somewhere new?"
"That's not really the point," He replies, ever so patient. "The question is ... are you still willing to follow me?"
"Yes," I say with a hint of sadness because I know what this all means. "Yes, I will follow You. Always."
I know exactly where this potential "somewhere new" is. And I know exactly why God might eventually call me there. And I know that if and when that call comes, I will go ... because being obedient to God and following Him with my whole heart is the only way I know how to live.
I am praying that God will continue to soften my heart toward the idea of moving somewhere new and that I'll grow to be open-minded - maybe even excited! - about the possibility of one day relocating there if that is indeed God's plan for me.
xo
