I just want to take a minute to write down some of the ways God has intentionally spoken in my life over the last few months…
Call
I was at a point where the direction I thought my life was going came to a screeching halt beyond my control…I had done nothing wrong, I thought it was the Lord’s direction. In that awakening God asked the question,
“How are you going to truly respond to the call I have on your life? Are you really going to settle for less than my PERFECT plan?” I was ready to settle for my plan… The one prayer I can remember praying from the time I was a litle girl is that I would never settle in life. I have prayed that God would not allow me to do such a thing! He caught my attention and saved my life…
Alex
On Thanksgiving Day…I finally applied for The World Race. Two hours later…I received this email from Seth Barnes, director of Adventures in Missions:
Jessie,
I couldn’t help noticing that you worked at the same place that one of our teams worked at in Antigua:
http://laura.theworldrace.org
/index.asp?nMonth=2&nYear=2006
seth
If you click on the link, you will see pictures of all the kids I worked with in Guatemala. These kids hold the strings to my heart. I think about them consistently. The first one you see is Alex…he is an 8 year old orphan with cerebral palsy. I held him and played with him almost everyday spent in Guatemala. The Lord used Alex to get my attention!
Dad
As I completed the application process and interviewed for this adventure, I was having one of those days where I doubted everything about this whole deal. That day I sat in my dad’s living room and he said, “So this race thing…you’re sure this is what you want to do?!?” My first thought, “Of all days to ask me this…” Like most dad’s he is somewhat anti-his daughter moving to the third world; therefore, I have the need to be overly confident when I tell my dad about these new adventures and ideas. For some reason I have believed this attitude will win his confience. On this particular day, I did not have confidence. So I responded with an “I think it is, but I don’t really know.” When he asked me if I knew what he was going to say, I shook my head because he had surprised me up until this point. : ) His response was this
…”I think if you don’t do this now you never will.” Once again the Lord knew how to get my attention! On this day that one sentence said keep going Jessie! (Dad, if you are reading this…don’t kick yourself for saying that!)
Passion
Just after Christmas I had the last minute opportunity to drive a van full of OBU students to the Passion Conference in Atlanta. While I was there I was asked to go on The World Race!!! Shortly after finding out, I told the Lord this, “I need to know for sure, Lord. I know things are going to get hard, and I need to be able to rest in the fact that you have told me to GO!” (Little did I know…He was ready to answer.) At Passion that night Louie Giglio got up to speak on one verse…The Great Commission. He used a window to demonstrate different people
groups we would hear if we opened the window to heaven. We will hear African, English, and Indigenous praises. He made this statement,
“When you get to heaven be grateful that God gave you the opportunity to take part in the nations coming to know Him!” Next to the window stood a sign. It was green. It said
GO!
The Lord is intentional when He speaks and when He is silent. His voice may not always be as clear as a green sign saying “Go.” He does not always respond how we expect…usually we don’t even know what to expect. His intentionality makes the long run much better than we can imagine.
I don’t know why my plan was not the same as His plan. I don’t know why God is sending me. I don’t know what I will do afterwards. I don’t know if I am up for this challenge. I don’t know what to expect.
I know His plan is better that mine. I know He kept me from settling. I know He told me to GO!. I know He gives direction. I know He has equipped me to GO! I know to expect to change lives and be even more changed myself.
God is intentional. In moments of confusion cling to the things you know to be true.
