This is a blog post I read this week by Mark Batterson.  He is a pastor of a church in Washington DC and was notified a couple weeks ago that they can no longer meet in Union Station for their services.  He is now looking for a new place to hold their church meetings, and the post below reveals what God has been teaching him through it all.  It goes hand-in-hand with my previous post on No Boys Allowed, and I hope his words make you think as much as they have made me think!  

“Here is a lesson I’m learning. When you are spiritually immature, you find the greatest peace when you’re in comfortable circumstances. But as you grow spiritually, comfort makes you uncomfortable. I’m honestly not trying to “spin” the situation we’re in looking for a replacement for Union Station. But I can honestly say that I have a peace that passes understanding. After a little grieving, I’m strangely energized by our predicament. Here’s the bottom line: we ought to be most peaceful in circumstances that require divine intervention. Why? Because all the pressure is off of us. There is nothing we can do about it.

Are you at peace? Is it because you are comfortable? Or is it because you’re in a situation that requires a miracle? All of us want a miracle, but most of us don’t want to be in situations that necessitate one! I think spiritual maturity manifests itself as peace in impossible circumstances because of an unconditional and uncircumstantial trust in God.”

Let’s apply this to our own lives ladies!

Michelle

Yesterday I experienced a feeling I haven’t had in a while: fulfilling discomfort.  I had the opportunity to check out Helping Hands, an organization that reaches out to Hamilton’s poor.  They run a ‘store’ full of clothing, books, blankets, and shoes, and each item is 100% free for those who need it.  The doors opened at 1:00 pm and I found myself jumping out of the way as people poured in and began selecting their necessities!  Such a lively, wonderful place.

To be totally honest, this type of thing does not come naturally to me.  For the most part I am used to talking to people who are in the same social and economic class as me, and it can be hard to know how to make conversation with people whose lives are very different.  I watched Helen, who runs the store, interact with each person and treat them with dignity.  Prostituted women, pimps, old people, young kids, single moms, drug dealers…these people all enter through the doors.  And the community I witnessed in that place touched me.

The hours flew by and as I got into the car and drove home, I was reminded that I am living in a totally different world than some of these people – demonstrated even by something as simple as having access to a car and not needing a blanket to keep me warm on the streets.  The feeling I had at the end of the say could be summed up in two words: fulfilling discomfort.  Getting out of my comfort zone does not happen nearly enough, and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to expand my outlook a bit yesterday.

What have you done lately that made you feel fulfilling discomfort?  If it has been a while, I’d encourage you to get out there and take a risk.  My prayer is that we would all make it a regular habit.

Be blessed girls!

Michelle

When I was in first year of university, I noticed that some of my friends who had been Christ-followers for years began to have doubts.  These doubts eventually led them to give up their faith completely, and I vowed to never let myself get to that point. 

But one day I was sitting in anthropology class and the professor said, “if you are here and you expect to get the full university experience without giving up everything you have ever believed, you’re fooling yourself.  If you truly want to learn, you must wash the slate clean.”  My immediate reaction was to think, “yes, I want to get the full intellectual experience,” but it was quickly followed by another thought: “am I willing to forget everything I have ever believed for the sake of learning?”  I wrestled with that question for almost half the class, because I truly wanted to learn to the best of my ability but realized they were asking me to ditch my faith for it. 

In the end I made a conscious decision to hold onto my faith in God, and from that point on I wrestled through questions of truth in my philosophy, political science, and anthropology classes with God rather than trying to battle it out alone.

But here’s the thing: faith is a conscious decision.  We either choose to have faith in God, or we choose to have faith in our professors.  We choose to have faith in the Bible, or we choose to have faith in our textbooks.  I’m not saying that nothing academia teaches us is true; I learned so much valuable information about the world through my classes that I believe is true.  But I personally refused to give up my faith in God just because He couldn’t be squeezed into an academic box with a formula.  A God that can be academically proven and explained is too small of a “god” for me.  I’m not interested in serving God is He fits neatly in my brain.

I never regretted that decision I made in anthropology class. I loved university and believe I was able to get a more full experience because of my faith in God.  If you don’t know where you stand on this, I’d encourage you to ask the question: what or who do I choose to have faith in?

Michelle

I was having a conversation with my sister-in-law a few weeks ago about university, career choices, and what all our friends want to be when they ‘grow up.’  She told me about someone she had met who just wanted to love people as a career.  Since then, she has stopped asking people what they want to be, but who they are going to be.

For example:

What kind of doctor do you want to be?  Are you actively working on your character so you can be compassionate toward your patients and good to your co-workers, or are you headed in a direction where you stomp on others to get to the top to make more money?

What kind of teacher will you be?  Will you be approachable? Are you going to diligently pray for your students and see school as a mission field? Are you willing to invest into their character or are you only going to focus on academic development?  Are you going to lord your power over them because you are finally in a position of authority?

Who will you be as a banker, development worker, politician, mom, engineer, writer, or hairdresser?  Are you going to be stressed out, over-protective of your kids, or always worrying about deadlines?  Or are you learning right now how to trust God and give your worry over to Him?

I truly believe God wants us to focus on who we will be versus what we will be.  What is it for you?  Who will you be when you grow up?  And what are you doing to become that person?  Our world needs women who are willing to ask this question.

Michelle

I remember when I watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition for the first time about a year ago.  A family who had done tons of good in their neighbourhood lived in a shabby rat-infested, mold-covered shack and were not able to upgrade to a house that would meet their needs.  The team swooped in and built a magnificent home, and as the commercials interrupted the story, I sat on the couch anticipating the family’s reaction of seeing their new house for the first time. 

When the crowd yelled the famous cheer “MOVE THAT BUS!”, the film didn’t cut to the house itself, but to the faces of the family members.  It is hard to keep a dry eye when this happens! 

At the Catalyst Leadership Conference, Louie Giglio talked about this very moment in the show.  He passionately explained that there is no need to show the house when “the house is on their FACE!”

This is so true.  The faces of the family members reflect the beauty of their new house.  Louie tied this into the following question:

When the world looks at you, can they see God on your face?

Wow. Do they see that you are living, breathing, and worshiping in the presence of your Heavenly Father? Or do they see lines of worry, pride, jealousy, and greed because you have turned your gaze away from your God? 

I think that many people watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition simply to witness the emotional moment when the family sees their house for the first time.  The world is craving for a face that reflects the hope, peace, and joy of a loving Saviour.  Let this be motivation for us to keep our eyes locked on Him!

Michelle