North to Alaska August 19, 2011

We began our long journey north this morning around 6:20 a.m., but oops, Mom forgot her Daytimer. After going back the few miles to her house to retrieve it, we got back on the road about 6:40. The trip to Amarillo was very uneventful….an answer to prayer. On the way, though, as we talked about the beautiful scenery we are going to experience through Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Canada, I took just a minute to view what was all around me right in the great state of Texas…miles and miles of wide open spaces and clear blue skies. Though it’s not the majestic mountains, the high plains are still an inspiring portrait of our creative God. The fields of cotton and even the land that is now showing signs of life after devastating fires earlier this year are reminders of God’s provision. We noted several fields that are lying fallow this season, and I wondered when it was that man first figured out that rotating crops was a good idea. I was quickly reminded of God’s instructions in the Bible. In Deuteronomy and Leviticus, God outlines a plan for sowing and reaping for six years and then allowing the land to rest. I was instantly aware of the Holy Spirit speaking to my heart…reminding me that if He has a plan for the miles and miles of wide open spaces and clear blue skies, then He most certainly has a plan for me, even my move to Alaska.

My Great Adventure Part II August 17, 2011

In my last posting, I shared all about getting started on my Great Adventure. After I had poured out my heart to the Lord, begging Him to give me more …more of Himself … He answered, in ways I could not have imagined that He would (I Corinthians 2:9). As I shared before, I became truly hungry for God’s Word, truly eager to learn more and more about Him and about how He was working in my life. But before the Lord could send me on my way (with His leading every step), I had to understand where I was and how far I had to go. God used some very difficult life circumstances to bring me to my knees so that I could recognize where I was spiritually.

My new love of the Old Testament sparked a deeper understanding of my own spiritual life. I found myself at this particular time in my walk with the Lord to be in the same place as the Israelites after their escape from Egypt…right in the middle of the wilderness. You see, just after I realized that my life was meant to be a Great Adventure, everything seemed to fall apart…we moved from our home, church, and friends that we loved deeply…sensing our discouragement, our son began his terrible 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s. I felt lost and completely out of control. I became angry with my husband for taking this new job…at God for making us go….worried about my son…convinced that I was going to go out of my mind.

Just like the Israelites who became angry that God had led them out of Egypt into this unknown territory, I couldn’t quite grasp the idea that God had a plan for getting me to my Promised Land here on earth (John 10:10). He needed to make some changes in my heart, and he was going to use our physical circumstances to do it. He was going to use what were very out of control circumstances to force me to give control back to Him…just like the Israelites who had wandered long enough in that desert, it was time for me to move on.

Joshua 3:5 says, “Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” I was ready. I wanted to see those amazing things. I had already made the discovery that if I asked the Lord to give me more, He would gladly oblige. Now, I wanted to go even further with Him. As I had studied and learned more about His character through the long familiar stories of the Old Testament, I was ready to continue on this next leg of my journey with Jesus. Joshua 3-4 details the beautiful story of the people of God finally coming to the place of decision, and I, too, had a choice…stay in the wilderness where I would still have Salvation from my sin (I had left my Egypt long ago), where God would still provide (think manna and shoes that did not wear out for forty years), and where I could still worship and fellowship with Him (remember the Tabernacle where the presence of God dwelt in the Ark of the Covenant) … OR I could step out in faith and follow God into the land flowing with milk and honey. Once again, one of Steven Curtis Chapman’s songs hit the nail in the head:

I’m diving in, I’m going deep in over
my head, I want to be
Caught in the rush, lost in the flow,
in over my head, I want to go
The river’s deep, the river’s wide,
the river’s water is alive
So sink or swim, I’m diving in

That would be me. That was the choice I wanted to make. I was ready to make my move. And so I did. I took the steps of faith required to enter my Promised Land here on earth…that abundant life that Jesus offers His followers. Without knowing what lay ahead, I dipped my toes into the river, and I found that God took care of the rest! What awaited me on the other side was much like what awaited the Israelites as they crossed the Jordan, what seemed like an insurmountable wall and even other obstacles. But I knew now that no matter what I faced, I would face it in obedience and with the hand of God directing my every move because I would be exactly where He wanted me to be, right where He could bless me beyond all measure.

So what were these steps? The same ones that Joshua gave to God’s people.

1. Consecrate yourselves…Joshua 3:5…I had to confess and remove anything and everything in my life that took my focus off God…all the worries, all the doubts, pride, unforgiveness, unbelief, whatever was keeping me from being totally set apart for Him.

2. Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God…3:9… I had to continue to read and study God’s word for myself, asking Him to make clear to me the things that He wanted me to learn.

3. When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river….3:8….I had to surrender to the Lord, simply offer my obedience to Him no matter the task, no matter the situation, no matter the circumstance.

And when I had done these things, the river became an open path to God’s abundant blessings! I love it here on the other side! I am still faced with daily challenges. I still struggle with my own personal issues, but it’s different. In ways that I cannot possibly describe, even the hard times are not quite the same. Yes, they are hard, but I have a renewed strength, a renewed peace and confidence that I didn’t quite feel while I was wandering in the wilderness.

So come on…what are you waiting for? Get out of the wilderness and get into the river!

The water’s great!