Growth Purpose

Willing to Wonder

Traditionally, I’m not a fan of surprises. Perhaps this is because I learned early on in life that a lot of life was unexpected anyway, we didn’t need to go planning additional things to startle us. Or perhaps it’s because it’s my nature to plan things, and surprises, by definition, go contrary to that. Regardless of the reason, if there’s a chance I can find how what’s going to happen, I’ll take it, exchanging the thrill of the unexpected for the comfort of the known.

All this held true, until I met my husband. As I’ve written about previously, I’m married to a great guy… a great guy who is unbelievably creative and loves to surprise me.  And with my husband I can always trust that if he plans the surprise, it will be something I like. With him, surprises are a reason to get excited, rather than nervous. Surprises are an unexpected way to experience his love, rather than an unpleasant detour in life.

I’m learning that the same is true with my relationship with God.  I must be willing to sacrifice my comfort, so I can be amazed at how He works. I must be willing to give up the comfort of the known for the thrill of the unexpected. I must be willing to marvel at His majesty in exchange for the assurance of the common.

In the Bible, we see this principle illustrated frequently. One of my favorite examples of this is the young boy who gave up his food and Christ used it to feed a monstrous crowd (John 6:1-15). The boy didn’t know what Christ would do with his gift, but he gave up, and was willing to stand in wonderment as he saw Christ used it to bless others. He  trusted that however God would surprise them, it would be an expression of His love. Having that kind of faith – to give up what you have without being sure how or even if God will use it, is something every Christian should be striving after.

May we all be willing to give what we have back to God and be willing to stand in wonder as He uses it to further His kingdom.

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Growth Work

Following the Leader

For anyone who has ever worked with kids, you know that Follow the Leader can be a great game. Not only does it motivate kids to get to the desired destination, but by encouraging them to imitate the moves of the leader, you’re able to adjust their behavior as well. It gets the children focused, it provides them a goal, and the leader can direct the steps of those tiny feet. They walk after the leader, mimicking them, and in so doing they began to conform to the leader’s desires. By giving the kiddos someone to emulate, we demonstrate not only where we want them to go, but how we want them to go about getting there.

In the Christian walk, following our Leader works much the same way.  I fear sometimes that we are so focused on the road that we are trotting that we forget that God also cares about who He is forming us to be. In other words, following God means more than just walking the path He has planned. It means that our behaviors, our attitudes, our character should increasingly look like those of our Leader. We should walk in His footsteps, true, but we should also walk in the same way that He did. Our desired destination is the same, we want to be where He is, and we should share a desire to increasingly look like Him when we get there.

A song by Chris Tomlin illustrates this well. The chorus states:

Where You go, I’ll go; Where you stay, I’ll stay;

When you move, I’ll move, I will follow You.

Who You love, I’ll love. Who You serve, I’ll serve,

In this life I lose, I will follow You.

God not only wants us to rely on Him for our staying and our going, but He wants our moves – our way of being and loving – to look like His. May we increasingly count on Christ to guide our steps, to direct our feet, and may we follow not only where He goes, but may our conduct increasingly emulate that of our Leader’s.

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