“For I know the plans I have for you” Declares the Lord.
” Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Man. These past few weeks have been… interesting, and the past two days have been a whirlwind. First, allow me to back up a little and explain….
As soon as I got accepted to go on this amazing journey I knew that God had some divine relationships in store for me, with the people that would be my family for these 11 months. My squad mates. In fact, at my home, Milestone Church here in Keller Texas, one of our distinctives and part of our church DNA is that Your destiny is tied to your relationships. So I knew it would happen. Throughout creation peoples lives have been changed through the relationships they make, be it for good or naught. I was excited to make some new lifelong friends.
From the get go there was a core group of about a dozen of us on Z squad that just “clicked”. We were encouraging everyone, supporting the team and doing our best to facilitate a cohesive working relationship for Z squad, before we ever met in person. It worked, very well, and naturally those 12 or so of us became rather close. I know we were all so excited to do ministry together for a year, and get to know each other in a deeper sense of community.
A few days ago our squads mobilizer emailed everyone, saying that she needed some brave volunteers. People willing to leave the relationships they had already made within their squad, and move over to a new squad, C squad, in order to lower our numbers from 80+ participants to around 50. This of course would make the logistics of our travels much easier and safer. Immediately I remembered that the Lord called me to this specific squad, but I still was willing to pray and ask if He wanted me to change. I am confident that He did not want me to move, that He wants me on Z squad. Cool right?
Over the past few days, I have seen each and every brother and sister that I have grown really close to on my team, step forward and make the jump to a new squad. I am so proud of them being obedient to our Heavenly father, but at the same time I was confused and torn. I had grown close to these people. These were divine relationships right? I loved these people and I so looked forward to growing with them. Volunteers were still needed. Oh how easy it would be to do the seemingly brave thing and step forward to move squads and go be with all my friends. Go where I know I fit in, where I will be comfortable. Safe. But I knew that was a temptation. I knew where I was called, but I so bad wanted what I wanted.
Then the Lord whispered to me “This is your test. Your step of Faith. You know where I have called you”
So I messaged my mobilizer, basically complaining and saying that I didn’t know what to do. Obviously, she didn’t have an answer for me but she said this,and I quote “For some people switching is a leap of faith…maybe for you, staying is a leap of faith.” Whoa. The Holy Spirit told me the same thing yesterday!?!? How did she know?
She didn’t obviously, but the Lord spoke through her, and with those simple liquid images of text on a screen He brought me peace. Peace. Man God, you are so good. Even in our selfishness and complaining you will still show us your love and encourage us.
SO, I will dearly miss all my friends that will not be going with me on the race, but I am so excited for the new squad that gets to learn and grow with them! There are still 50 people on Z squad that I don’t know really well, and I cannot wait to go to training camp and meet them all!!!
Sometimes God asks us to take a step of faith in ways we don’t quite understand or see at first. How is He speaking to you? What is He asking of you? If you feel like you can’t hear Him, or don’t even know how, trust in the words of our Heavenly father from Jer 29:11. Trust in His plan for your prosperous future.
