Sometimes God wants to take us from a good spot to a better spot. Will we let Him? Are we willing to give up a good thing and grab onto the uncertainty of what might be waiting for us…? Better or maybe not as good.
When I realized that our team would be going to Honduras this month I was disappointed. Nicaragua seemed so much more appealing despite the fact that I had no idea what either of them would be like. We arrived in the Nicaragua airport and were taken to a guest house to spend the night before taking a bus in the wee hours of the morning to Honduras. The hot sun beat down, there was a pool in the backyard and a beach close by. To me It seemed like bliss. Jokingly but half seriously I said lets just stay here for the month!
While in Vietnam we were asked what our top two choices were from the list of options. I said one of the contacts in Nicaragua and the only one in Honduras. Nicaragua- my top choice and Honduras- God’s. I knew that we’d be going to Honduras because it was God’s top choice for us, yet I still wanted to stay in Nicaragua, especially now that it was flaunting itself in front of me.
Had I gotten my way I would have missed something amazing that God in store for my team and me. I was ready to settle although it didn’t feel like settling. I wasn’t willing to trade something good for something that God thought was better. Uncertainty wasn’t calling my name.
Now for a month I’ll be dwelling on a huge acearge at the base of a mountain. Surrounded by trees, horses, wildlife, puppies and incredible people I feel the presence of the Lord thick like the morning fog that lingers into mid day. We have been given free reign of the property, free reign to do whatever we feel the Lord leading us to or to spend time with whoever. Beside our contacts house is our dorm with a “family room” and 10 bedrooms with two bunk beds in each. There is a kitchen complete with a stove, sink, fridge, toaster, blender and coffee pot. On top of all that there is a bathroom with multiple sinks, showers and toilets. Even a mirror! Tony our contact is absolutely amazing. Full of wisdom, faith and the Holy Spirit. We’ve been here for only three days and I’ve already learned so much from Him.
How many times do we settle for a good thing when God wants to blow our minds? How many times do we repeat old patterns? God is blessing me and despite the lesson I just learned I’m ready to make the same mistake all over again as I wish we could stay here longer than a month. Does uncertainty really exist in God’s realm? I don’t think so. God doesn’t fill our lives with uncertainty but with certainty; With facts and promises. Uncertainty has no place when God tells us that He will never leave us or forsake us. Uncertainty shudders when He tells us that all things work out for good for those who love Him. It disappears when He reminds us that His plans are better, that He wants to give us the deepest desires of our hearts. In resisting the opportunities that God is placing in front of us we are almost telling Him that His goodness can’t get any better than what it is right now. We’re almost telling Him that we don’t trust that His plan is better. That He knows better. In denying His will we are clinging onto our control. We are saying that we know what’s best for us, not Him, the one who created everything. Don’t let the fear of uncertainty stop you from being blessed and in awe of our Heavenly Father because in the shadow of his wing it doesn’t exist. In the comfort of His arms it’s no where to be found.
Embrace the unknown. Seek out the hidden treasures that He so badly wants to reveal to you. And when you catch yourself repeating the pattern stop and remember how good He is.
Psalm 27: 13-14
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
~We are in the land of the living. We are in the land and we are living. Am I confident that I’ll see the Lord’s goodness in my life, in the land that I’m living in? Wait to see it; Be strong and take heart and wait to see the Lord’s goodness. ~
