Expectant Extraordinary

Listening to: The One Who Saves by Hillsong

I'm back from California. Great trip with a number of great meetings. I'm blessed with deep friends and people who spur me on to greater ideas and faith. In the midst of a couple meetings, there were some incredible things God was teaching me. As I moved from meeting to meeting, I kept my friends the Mitchell's and their family in prayer. I'm moved by their faith, no actually by their faithfulness. I'm finding that a lot of people believe but fail to let that dominate their actions. John and Sha, I love you guys. May it be well with your souls.

It seems like there is never a shortage of people who want to give their opinion or advice on all sorts of things. I'm guilty of being that person often as well come to think of it. It also seems like God uses statements people don't intend to say, or maybe one's that aren't from them, to teach me. I can't tell you how many times I've told somebody thanks for what they taught me only to have them respond with something like "I don't even remember saying that." I blame the Holy Spirit for those moments. Here are two that happened to me recently.

While on a campus visit we had the opportunity (let's call it that) to eat lunch in the cafeteria. Our host prayed for our meal and in the midst of it made the statement "Lord we recognize that this truly is the day you have made, may we walk expectantly because of that." I've sung the cheesy song, but I rarely recognize the simply profound thought that God designed the day. Because of that, it makes a lot of others things easier. And it makes a few things more difficult.

I also had a meeting with a pretty incredible ministry. The simple fact is they are living a lifestyle of service I don't have the guts for. They are called to do something so intense, so dangerous and so necessary it gives them the right to say some pretty bold things. Instead, they serve with a humility I'm impressed by. They recognize God is moving there but then they said something that blew me away, "It's extraordinary and it's happening everywhere." In other words, they don't have the corner market on God's activity. What they are doing is awesome, fact is He's up to that all over the place.

My perspective is simply too small. My focus is way too much on me. My situation, my problems when seen in perspective are simple. At least in the hands of the One who made all this. I don't write all this to say our stuff is trivial and we shouldn't get so wrapped up in it. I just want to be reminded that all the while that I serve one who is bigger, stronger, higher. Because at the end of the day the smartest thing we can do is sit in silence with those we love realizing we have nothing to say and He is speaking through His Spirit in ways we cannot fathom or articulate.

In the end, I resolve to try and live with an attitude that looks for the the expectant extraordinary. It shouldn't be that hard. It's happening all over the place. I just need to slow down enough to see it.