Opposition

I love my Jesus because He is so practical.  The Father called Him Emmanuel--God with us...right here in the middle of my day.

Another wonderful aspect of our faith (if we are practicing it and not just intellectualizing it) is that it is relevant every day in normal experiences we have.  Woe to those who have made following Christ so complex that it appears that only theologians can ever attain that joy!

I went to Washington DC yesterday for an interview.  Do you think the Father wants to bless me?  Do you believe He wants the best for my life and your's?  Do you believe that if He wants to do something good for us that there will be opposition?  You bet your sweet bippie!

I left the house yesterday morning about 2 1/2 hours earlier than the 2 1/2 hour drive I had to the Metro station in MD where I was going to catch the train into town.  I experienced the normal traffic congestion during rush hour but my Father because of the work He has done in my heart, helped me to remain calm and stress free.

I arrived at the Metro parking lot in Glenmont in plenty of time.  But the parking garage was full...completely.  I checked by driving around even though the sign said it was full and I had to pay $4.75 for "parking".  What now? 

In the "kiss and ride" lot (where you drop off your mate to catch the train) I saw a Metro police van.  I approached it and asked the officer where I could find parking.  She was very kind and interrupted a phone conversation to patiently answer my questions (just like my Father--she was one of His agents).  She told me if I could wait until 10 am she wouldn't ticket me if I parked in a reserved spot.  Or I could drive to the next station down the line where there was always ample parking.  She gave me very good directions.

I chose the latter and drove about 5 miles to the next station.  When I drove up to the parking garage I discovered I was supposed to have a SmartCard to get into the garage.  They didn't take ATM cards there and there was no attendant.  There was a very helpful fellow who just "happened" to be standing by who told me that I had to go to the main station and purchase a SmartCard.  The main station was two blocks away.

So I drove to the station, parked without having any change for the meter and found my way into the station.  There I found another very helpful agent who pointed me to the machine.  I purchased my ticket for my ride into town while I was there.  Back to the garage, parked and back to the station to catch the next train.  I was now after 10:10 and I had a 27 min ride into town and a 4 block walk for an 11 am appointment.

I promise I was not stressed...which is incredibly unusual for how I used to be.  I realized that laying down on the ground and pitching a fit like a 5 year old was not getting me a parking spot, or a SmartCard or a ride into town.  Being nasty to those around me that I was expecting to help me wasn't going to get their cooperation.

The attendant showed me where to catch the Metro and a man sitting there assured me that I could catch the next train into Farragut North where I needed to go.  He said, in fact, "I am going to that same stop.  Just follow me."  The Metro was very clear in its instructions but I still thanked my fourth or fifth benefactor for his help.

Oh, did I tell you I had to make a phone call to the person I was to meet...and my cell phone battery was dying?

I walked at a normal pace, found my way to the building and then had to go through security a couple of times because I kept forgetting things in my pockets.  I finally made it upstairs to the fifth floor where the interview was to be held...but I desperately needed to go to the bathroom.  While we're standing outside the door of the Director I was to meet with (by this time I was 5 or 10 minutes late to my interview--not a positive way to start a first impression) several people kept interrupting, asking to see her.  I quickly got the fellow to take me to the bathroom.

Finally, the meeting began with the Director and two other men, only one of whom I had ever met or had any conversation with.  It was very intimidating and my mind went blank when it should have functioned well.  More opposition.

When I left the meeting (it was over in 15 minutes!) I was bummed.  In fact, I had to put bandaids on my bottom lip because of dragging it on the pavement all the way back to the Metro station.  I didn't have any bandaids for the blisters on my heels because of the shoes I was wearing.

When I got home I was feeling completely defeated.  In fact, the enemy was starting to remind me of some of the old tapes that I used to enjoy playing about what a failure I was and how I would never succeed.  I didn't press "play" but I did listen to the intro.

But in steps the Body of Christ.  A friend who has been closely watching this process with me was experiencing a very difficult day as well.  And she realized that it was the enemy trying to stand in the way of blessings that God wanted us both to enjoy.  You really don't think he would step back and let us walk right into the open door of a great thing, do you, without opposing it with everything he has?

That's the MO (modus operandi) of the enemy.  He will oppose every good thing the Father wants to do in our lives.  He loves to hit us where we have been wounded before and make it hurt again.  But as the scripture tells us we have to resist him and stand firm in the faith.  I can't begin to describe how light-hearted I feel today.  There are still hurdles to get over but I know that my Father has my best interests in mind and that I have an enemy who doesn't.

Do you recognize any opposition you are getting right now that is urging you to give up?  That is saying that you aren't worth it?  That is telling you that the Father doesn't care about you?  Those are lies...and the Father doesn't lie.

Guidance

I've been a follower of Christ for almost 50 years.  I've seen a lot of changes in my relationship with my Savior including how I receive His guidance.

Early on I resorted to things like opening to Bible to a random place to find a scripture that might just give me an answer to the question I had.  I also relied heavily on "fleeces" to confirm what I thought God was saying to me.  Then there was the time in my life when I expected the supernatural...God speaking directly to me through a prophet or some other phenomena.

But as I have aged and as I have become more comfortable with the intimacy of my relationship to my heavenly Father I am leaning more through nudges and gentle leading.

When we left OH three years ago it was obvious that God wanted us to shake loose.  He brought help at just the right time, opened person's hearts to show ways He loved us and provided a buyer for our home when the realtor was bracing us for low ball figure due to the economy.

We got here with every intention of staying here for the rest of our lives.  Nissa seemed the least likely one of our children to be moving any time soon.  Besides the other two live where summer is only a day or so a year.  I was going to invest in my son-in-law's business and help him grow it as a gift of blessing to him.

But that didn't last and my job with a former congregational member who had been after me for years to work for him went up in smoke after 9 months.  I now have spent the last 8 months being unemployed.  That's a first for me in all my working life.  I've usually gone from one job right to another with little time in between, started at the bottom earning vacation and trying to find a comfortable spot to excel.

It became evident recently that we don't appear to be destined to stay in Lancaster County very long.  In fact, June 1st will be our three year anniversary of when we arrived.  Strange to think that I may be starting a job in another city with a move in the wings on my 3 year anniversary.  What a change from what we expected!

I found that's how the Father is.  When we got to Holmes County in 1992 we came there to hide from the world and recover from the brokenness we experienced in serving God full time.  We didn't ask God if it was okay with Him.  We just sent Him a change of address card.  We purposely bought our home west of where we had a lot of friends so we could hide, thinking that we would again retire right there...forever.

When God calls He often does so contrary to our plans.  He shakes us loose.  He causes circumstances to go differently than we expected.  And if we are listening, He is gently nudging us toward His will for our lives and not our own.

I have been encumbered by things most of my life.  I'm still carrying around sweatshirts from my college days (no they don't fit anymore).  I just put my low cut Converse tennis shoes from high school and 70's style boots from my navy days in a bag to go to Goodwill.  I have toy trucks from my father and also from my childhood that I have drug around expecting some day to stop long enough and have enough space to display them.  I've never lived in a museum yet.

After the last 8 months at home with time to go through things I am hearing the Father tell me to get rid of the clutter.  It was a difficult step to admit that the Jeep I've owned for 25 years needed to go away.   I finally had a place to store it well and work on it but have never had the time or resources to do so.  I bought it with the idea of fun and that's what it has represented to me all these years.  And yet, it has caused me a lot of work to move it here and there.

I have realized that my identity isn't in all these things that I've carried around all these years.  They don't define who I am.  Neither does my job represent the sum total of who I am.  So in these quiet days the last several months I am hearing a very loving, gentle Father set me free from all the things that I thought defined me.

He hasn't done it with lightning, fleeces, prophetic words or any of the colorful ways I used to expect Him to speak to me.  He has just quietly spoken to my heart.  He has gently nudged me toward things I was afraid of.  He has walked right beside me in my transformation.

We may be moving to the Washington, DC area.  I'll know more after Tuesday.  Live in the city?  Ride the metro to work every day?  Live in a condo or townhouse?  Not have room for all my stuff?  Who would have thought?  My Father, who wants the very best for me in all the ways He impacts my life.  Would I have left the tranquility of Holmes County to go directly to Washington?  Very doubtful.

We'll keep you posted on where the nudges take us.