Keep Going!

“What was that?”  My boy commented on the loud-jet engine noise coming from some space in the air.  It sounded as if there was a large aircraft overhead but nothing could be seen and my boys looked dumbfounded—it didn’t make sense to them.

Especially my little toddler who is learning to point out the airplanes overhead; the look on his face was priceless.  (Wish I would have captured it for you; but my phone was buried at the bottom of the diaper bag at the time).

Content brothers.

My boy's look resonated with something in my heart as I noticed him resolve to let go of the question and sat content on the blanket with his brother on the field…this moment, I was able to capture. 

In recent years, I’ve asked God on quite a few occasions, “What was that?” 

Can you relate?  Have you felt God recently lead you down a path with an open door in sight;  yes-in sight…you can just feel the YES and smell the victory.  Only to be left baffled at the end of the journey with a shut door.

I don’t understand it completely still…but I am thankful for God’s Word and little nudges from Him continually that point me to how loved I am (especially when rejection floods my thoughts when standing at a shut door).   In my pursuit of God continually, I find much hope believing in God and believing who I am in Christ…someway-somehow—I find the gumption to not only stand but walk on. 

I feel like these last few years have been full of both open doors and shut doors.  And I ‘m learning that I don’t always understand; but there is a purpose and a plan for even the shut doors.

I read in Jeremiah 35 this week and God showed me how Jeremiah heard from the Lord and was asked to invite over a family—the Recabites. The Lord then said, “give them wine to drink.”  (verse 2).  Jeremiah got the tables all set up with the wine and invited them over; only to have them turn down the wine.   

Oh, I don’t want to claim to understand all that God’s Word is teaching us here; but I found myself relating to Jeremiah.   I have felt on several occasions that I heard from the Lord similarly some sort of action, only to find those around me turn down my offer. 

My heart was comforted realizing that like me; Jeremiah was asked to do something that led to a shut door; and ‘the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD.”

Are you like me and think that if things didn’t turn out; we must not have heard right, or from God at all? 

I wish I could read Jeremiah’s journal entry for that night.  Do you think he doubted that the initial word came from the Lord?  Don’t we easily get trapped into thinking that if we heard from God it must work out smoothly and our paths must be full of YESES AND OPEN DOORS?

I’ve even heard some good Bible teachers speak about learning whether it is a ‘good idea’ or a ‘God idea.’ 

In my limited thinking I can get stuck believing that if it doesn’t work out—it must not have been a ‘God idea;’ and I sense God nudging me to do away with this thinking!  

What if God’s idea was all along for us to walk and see them turn down the offer just as Jeremiah was to offer what God already knew they would  turn down?

Oh, my heart finds so much freedom in this.   I’m instantly flooded with recent memories of being just stumped—feeling that God nudged me down various paths only to find my heart and head confused with the resulting backdrop.

It doesn’t matter how the NO came into my life—or how hard the door slammed; or how disappointing the diagnosis—God never left me and with every NO, door slam and diagnosis I can look back and still see Him. 

I even see Him amidst the NOs and doors and diagnoses; revealing YESES, opening doors and other relationships.   And most importantly, I have felt His nudges to embrace the truth that I am loved and to keep going!

God encouraged me even more as I also read, 2 Tim 4:5…may it encourage you and empower you to keep going as it did me and let's choose to trust and be like those content brothers. 

But you should keep a clear mind in every situation.

Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord.

Work at bringing others to Christ.

Complete the ministry God has given you.

(NLT)