A Sense of Dis-somethingness

I feel as though I am in a strange place right now. I am enjoying my sojourn in life, but I have this sense of disconnectedness or restlessness. Maybe it is in part because of the doctoral class I am taking right now with it's questions and reflections I am doing for the class. Maybe it is in part due to my unsettled work situation. Maybe it is God calling me to step out of my current path and jump over to an uncharted path to take on a different ministry challenge. My guess is that it is a combination of all three of these, along with some factors that I have not really considered.

I has originally titled this posting "A Sense of Discontentment" but that is now the feeling I have. I am content in who I am becoming and where God has me now. My contentment is not based in circumstance, rather it is based in my identity in Christ. My restlessness my be more connected to my present circumstances, while my disconnectedness is a result of my current contemplative state of mind.

So what does this all mean? It means that I am in fact as clueless if not more so, than I have been in recent months. It means that I have to "trust in the Lord with my heart...," it means that I need to ask God for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding as I navigate through this time in my life. It means I have to be keenly aware of what is going on around me so I don't miss that "still small voice" of God giving me insight. It means I have to be still and be open to what ever and where ever God is leading me. I have my dreams, but I have to make sure they correspond with where God is directing me at this time in my life.

What things in your life are causing you a sense of dis-somethingness? How are you working at resolving the feeling? What new adventure may be awaiting you? Are you willing to step out and say lets go God? Am I ready to do this?

Leap of Faith

Often in our Christian speak we will use the phrase "leap of faith" or "step out in faith" or something similar. So what does this mean?

I am thinking about this because the other morning I saw a squirrels in our yard take a leap of faith. A little context here. I love our yard because it really is full of trees - oaks, maples and the like. Most stand 30, 40, 50 feet tall. Ours house was built in the 1940's so that trees in the yard have had a lot of years to grow big and tall. The squirrels love our yard to. At times I have counted about a dozen squirrels chasing each other around the yard and through the trees. It really is quite entertaining to watch. But I digress.

This morning there was only a single squirrel who was in one large maple and wanted to jump to another. He has moved himself out to the the end of what looks like a rather small branch and then leaped across to another branch of equal or lesser size in the next maple tree over. How did he calculate the distance? How did he know the branch he was leaping to would support him? How? How? How? I guess I would call this a true leap of faith. If he were wrong, it would have been a 30-40 foot drop to the snow covered ground.

So how does this apply to us? God often challenges us to step out of our comfort zone so that we can try a new adventure or ministry opportunity. He calls us to take a leap of faith so that we can be His hands and feet here on earth to minister to others. Unfortunately, for many we fail to make that leap allowing the opportunity to serve to fall on someone else's plate. We miss the opportunity to bless and in return be blessed. Why is this? A lack of faith? A lack of courage? Asking the questions - how or why? Joshua was called to be strong and courageous not once, not twice, but three times as he took over the leadership role of the Israelites. Erwin McManus says that "courage isn't the absence of fear, rather it is the absence of self." I am guess that most of the leaps that God is calling us to don't involve a 30-40 foot drop if things don't work out as planned.

Our leaps may involve talking to a friend , co-worker or neighbor about how God can help them in a time of trouble, giving a little more to fund a ministry in need, or simple stepping in to fill a need in a ministry. So you may be uncomfortable or have to give up a latte or two or you may loose a little bit of free time, but the blessings that you can give and in turn the blessing you will receive are truly priceless.

So go out and take a leap. Maybe it will be small or perhaps it will be large, but know this, just as God was with Joshua as he was being strong and courageous so will God be with you as you step out and take a leap just like my neighborhood squirrel did.