What is God teaching you?

I am so thankful that we serve such a gracious and loving God!

Have you ever noticed that God will put the same messages in front of you over and over until you finally get what He's trying to tell you? And did you know that my God is big enough that He can use ANYTHING to speak to me (and to you)?

Here's an example:

Apparently, God wants me to be more faithful, because lately that's the message I've been getting over and over. It all started when I was watching the movie Facing the Giants. I love the part where the old man comes into Coach Taylor's office and reads Revelation 3:7-8. Coach Taylor follows him out into the hall and the old man tells him a story about two farmers that prayed for rain. Both farmers prayed, but only one went out and prepared his fields to receive the rain. So, the man asks, which farmer had the most faith? Of course, Coach Taylor answers that the farmer that prepared his fields had the most faith. The old man nods and asks Coach Taylor, "Which one are you?"

In the past two weeks, I have watched that movie about three times (because TV has been really crappy the last few weeks, and because I love it and I'm ready for football season). Anyway, I have also heard my pastor use that movie and that illustration in a sermon. I have heard my pastor's wife and friend use that illustration in a Children's Ministry Group Meeting. I have even seen an episode of Law and Order where a character on the show talked about the same thing (See what I mean about God being able to use anything? How many times does Law and Order speak to you about your faith?)

So I'm thinking, God must want me to have more faith. I need to prepare my fields for the rain.

And then I realize that I have no idea what my field is.

I have also been running into messages and studies about God's vision for our lives. I have been trying for an entire year to find what God's vision for my life is. And here I am, praying to God and saying - Why won't you give me a vision? I'm ready. I'm willing. Just show me what to do! Show me where to serve! Show me and I will go!

Well, guess what? I have been talking to God an awful lot, but I haven't been listening very well. (Does that ever happen to you, or is it just me?)

I realized when I watched Facing the Giants for the 100th time last night, that before God started really working in Grant Taylor's life, Grant Taylor totally surrendered EVERYTHING to God. He gave God his hopes and his dreams. He gave God his fears and his failures. He gave God EVERYTHING!

I haven't done that yet. (I know - shocker. Who would have ever thought that I would want to be in control? That's totally unlike me, right? Right?) You are allowed to laugh at the previous statement, by the way. But I'm not just being funny. I'm being serious. I have yet to give God my hopes and my dreams. I'm still limiting God and His vision for my life because I'm trying to put God into my life. I want it all in a neat little package where God's plans go perfectly with mine and we're all just hunky-dorey and kumbya.

But that's not how this works.

You can't say "God, give me a vision for my life, as long as the vision is this..."

You can't say, "God, I surrender my life to you. Except for my personal life. I think I'll just find a husband on my own, and you can have the rest."

You can't say, "God, I'm totally willing to do whatever you want, but I'm really wanting to do this specific thing..."

And, you can't say, "God, I'm waiting on you to show me what you want me to do and I'm not budging or moving or doing anything until you show me and I've decided that I'm happy with what you want me to do."

Have you ever heard the song "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller? It was in the movie Fireproof. If you've never heard it, buy it on i-tunes. It's worth it. It talks about what it feels like to wait on God. Because God sends us the "rain" on His time, not ours. And it can be hard to wait. But what I love about the song the most is the message about HOW to wait. It says:

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead,
bold and confident
Taking every step
in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

Did you catch that? While we're waiting on God to show us His grand vision and plan (which we may never know, because some things are just not for us to know), we're supposed to worship. We're supposed to serve. We're supposed to obey God. We're supposed to run the race.

We're to (I know you were waiting for me to put this quote in here since I put it in everything...here you go!) BLOOM WHERE GOD HAS PLANTED US!

So maybe I don't know yet what God wants me to do with my life. Yes, it's hard not to know. It's annoying sometimes. It's confusing and painful and sometimes it's just downright awful. But guess what? I know that God is in control. And if I'm walking with Him "taking every step in obedience", like the song says, then I know that I will end up in the right place.

God didn't place us on earth to just wander around aimlessly. He placed us here with a purpose. And even if I don't know what my specific purpose is yet, I know that He has called us all into the ministry - He wants us all to worship Him and to obey Him and to have a relationship with Him and to TELL OTHERS ABOUT HIM!

God is always teaching us something. And if we would just wake up and take notice, we'd see Him at work everywhere.

So, I guess that I've been learning to be faithful, to SURRENDER my ENTIRE life to God, to serve God while I'm waiting, and to LISTEN to God instead of just talking at Him all the time. What is God teaching you?