Life Journey

Life is like a journey. And let me say here that I love taking this journey with the faithful friends and family the Lord has given me. I really like viewing life like that, a journey. It makes sense in that life is a process. No one, including God expects me to have it all figured out, and that really the end of the journey begins in heaven and lasts forever. The Lord is so patient and loving to me. The Lord told me yesterday while I was umpiring little league baseball that I was being a baby. That it was easy for me to follow Christ when things were going my way. When “my” prayers were being answered and when I was “feeling” successful. The Lord laid it on me pretty good about crying to others and somehow making in God’s fault that things aren’t going the way I want them. He reminded me of what I had read from Erwin McManus in his book Siezing You Devine Moment that not even a Stalin or a Hitler could avoid doing God’s will even though they tried not to how could me, a follower of Christ, wanting to do his will, somehow miss it. He told me that He was in control and I needed to quite blaming Him and thinking that it was His fault.

I was watching We Were Soldiers on Saturday morning, mostly because I wanted to forget about being in ministry and wishing that I could be a courageous leader like Col. Hal More who is so courageous and heroic as he leads his vastly outnumbered army in victory against a tuff enemy. As I was watching I came to the scene were the Col. and his Sgt. Major are receiving their orders from the command post. The commander says “simple orders Hal. Find the enemy and kill em.” At that moment I said out loud, even though I was all alone in my living room, “that’s what I want God. Simple orders “find the enemy and kill em.” Of course at that point I was blaming God for somehow giving me complex, impossible to follow orders for ministry. And that God was somehow hiding both His will and His plan for me and the ministry. I was not at a point yet where I could listen to God. There was still too much pride in me. So God worked on me all weekend, he rebuked my pride in the fact that I was telling God, or at least expecting God, to do what I wanted in the ministry. My heart was broken by the rebuke but immediately I felt the grace of Jesus flood in and heal it.

Later Sunday evening Jackie (my wife) was home, back from her trip to Dallas. We were talking and I was telling her about the weekend’s events and what was going on in my heart and mind. I told her about everything that had happened and as I became frustrated again thinking about it I told her about the scene in We Were Soldiers movie and what I had told God. The next words that came out of her mouth were completely inspired by God. She said “God has given you simple orders Shane, ‘love Him and love His people.’” Wow, if I hadn’t been lying down already I would have been floored! Even now it brings back the emotions I felt as God pierced my heart with my wife’s words. It was as if I had heard God’s voice and it sounded just like Jackie’s. God has given me/ us simple orders. It’s what you told me the other day that I was not ready for. You said the most important thing is to walk with God, not do ministry or any other good thing. The most important is to know Him. You said we are not placed in this earth to do ministry. We are placed her to know Him and that is all. I find it comforting to know that the most important thing for me to do on this earth does not involve anyone else. It does not depend on other for me to know God. Of course it is vital in our knowing God that we interact with others and in fact I think that is a huge way to know God is to know Him through others. But what I mean is that I can focus my energies on knowing God and it does not matter if 20 or 200 people show up because it only involves me and Him. I can’t tell you how excited I am to receive these simple orders, “I want you to love Me, and love My people” God said. I love it when God speaks to me. I love it because I am always amazed. I am amazed how the Holy Spirit says exactly what I need to hear exactly at the right time and that involves a journey. This entire weekend was a little mini journey or chapter in the overall life journey.

Who are you sharing your journey with? I would never be able to navigate this life journey without faithful companions to help guild and encourage me. The Lord has given me faithful friends and family that I can share anything that is on my heart and they listen. They listen because they care and love me. If you have these faithful friends you need to share with them your hurts, questions, ideas, and excitements. Travel this journey with a handful of faithful friends, love the Lord together and love each other together.