Because God IS Good At Being God...And I am Not.

This weekend, I went to a ladies' conference in Birmingham with one of my sweet friends. The speakers (Morgan Cheek, Katherine Wolf, and Lysa Terkeurst) were wonderful, and the Lord really spoke to me about a lot of things. One thing imparticular has weighed on me because I have some friends in tough circumstances , and maybe some of you are too. So I wanted to share what the Lord put on my heart. 

The overall theme of the conference was hope. 
More specifically, hope in hard circumstances. 

Lysa Terkeurst's focus was this (and her whole lesson was amazing!):

God is good.
God is good to me.
And God is good at being God.

I don't have any trouble with the first two. 
But that last one...that one, I struggle with sometimes. 
It seems like it should have "(most of the time)" beside it.
Because I think I know better than He does every now and then.:)

I question the path He takes me down sometimes. 
I wonder why He has to make it so bumpy and uncomfortable?
And so I choose to take my own path instead.

It made me start thinking about the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books I used to read when I was younger. Some of you have got to know what I am talking about. But for those who don't, here's the basic idea. The story has a beginning. But after an introduction, you get to choose the next part of the story. You are given two (or sometimes more) directions to go. And it's exciting because you're not sure how it will end, and you can reread it different ways to get a different outcome. (I actually just ordered some for my kiddos, but I'm pretty pumped myself!:))

Well, ya'll, that's like life. We all get to write our story. We all have choices to make. But unlike the storybook, created for temporary entertainment, our story has lasting consequences. 

We have choices to make each and every day. What clothes to wear, how much money to spend, what words to say, what places to go, etc. And at every fork in the road, we are faced with this: Our way or God's way.

But here's the tricky part. If we know the Lord, believe He is good, and believe He is good to us, we should automatically choose His path, right? But so many times, we don't. Why?

The answer is simple. 

Lots of times, His path is dark and scary looking. Think Sleepy Hollow. The wind howls, the trees blow, you hear wolves and coyotes in the distance...

While down your path, you see a walk in the park with flowers and butterflies and cute children skipping by the pond to throw bread to the cute ducks...

You get the picture. Many times our way is easier. It is less trouble. It isn't scary or worrisome or intimidating or hurtful. But it also isn't best.

Find out you have breast cancer? Or discover that you are the picture of perfect health?

Lose all of your money? Or win the lottery?

Tell the truth no matter what it costs? Or just get by with a little white lie?

Get fired from your job? Or get promoted to CEO?

Speak life no matter how you feel? Or gossip about your co-workers for just a minute?

The situations are endless. And you see the dilemma. 

The world would never choose the first options. Never.

And most of us wouldn't either.

And the truth is, that sometimes we don't get to choose. 

Sometimes the Lord gives us "our portion and our cup (Ps.16:5)."

So then what?

I was reading about those with the strongest faith in Hebrews 11. And this passage about Moses caught my attention:

"It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. 

He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible."

Hebrews 11:27

He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. Invisible....

Wow. You've come to the fork in the road. You put self aside and choose the Lord's path OR He closes the gate to your road, and you are forced down His. Now what? How can you keep your eyes on someone who is invisible? How can you trust someone you can't see to lead you down the path before you?

I'm not a Bible scholar. I'm not one of the faith greats. But I do know Jesus. And I have followed Him down some uncomfortable, hard roads before.  

I like to think of following Him like following the wind. I can't see it. I can't touch it. But I know it's there. And I can follow it by the way it sounds and moves around me. Here are a couple of things I keep in mind when I have to follow the Lord down hard paths:

1.  Listen for His voice, no matter how soft it may be.
The world's voice will always be louder. Always. Social media, television, your friends, family, and co-workers...they are right in front of you. Their input is immediate. And the enemy uses them to distract you from the One you need to hear most. 

"But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, 

and their voices prevailed." Luke 23:23

Pilate had the choice to let Jesus go or send Him to the cross. His wife told him to let Jesus go. He knew he should let him go. But he didn't...because the crowd's voice prevailed.

Take time to sit in the quiet, all alone, and ask the Lord to speak to you. Block out the other voices of the world. Then wait patiently. It most likely won't be out loud...and it most likely won't be immediate. It may take time. But He will speak to you through the Word, through your thoughts, or through others. 

(Seeking wise, Godly counsel is also important, but it does not completely take the place of the Lord Himself.)

2. Watch where He is moving around you.
When the wind blows, it ruffles leaves and causes trees to sway. The same is true of God. He opens and closes doors. And according to some, He opens a window here and there.:) Pray for Him to guide your next steps. One at a time, so you don't get too far ahead, or too far behind. He can make things fall into place like no one else. Some may say it's "coincidence" or "luck," but I believe He has a plan and a purpose for everything. And it is nothing less than His mighty hand at work.

"Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this, 

In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind?" 

Job 12:9-10

I don't expect to choose the Lord's path willingly every time. 

I do expect that He will have to close gates to force me down His path a good bit. 

But my prayer is that I will learn to choose His way, the best way, and that you will too. 

I do absolutely believe that God is good.

God is good to me. 

God is good at being God. 

And I am not.:)

(*P.S. Just a small encouragement. We have multiple forks in the road and multiple pieces to our story. Just because you didn't choose His path the first time, doesn't mean you can't today. It's never too late to try to make things right. His mercies are new every morning. (Lam.3:22-24))