Move. Be encouraged. Or get back to work.

“for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.”  Philippians 2:13 NIV

Have you ever felt the unmistakable direction God planned for any area of life?  I think He does many things with me being oblivious to them.  Most of the time I wonder if He is doing or has done something, occasionally, I know it, but almost always after the fact.  My current occupation was one of those obvious moves. 

I was in Recreation, meaning I really didn’t have a marketable skill, I had a job.  After over a decade there, I had been asking for a change.  I had been looking for a change and I had an opportunity on the table, but I was not sure which direction was correct.  God settled the issue at The Mall in Hays.  At that time our mall was actually called “The Mall”.  Not creative, but descriptive. 

Korbin was little.  I was kind of chasing him and making a game of it.  He ended up heading in the direction of a trash can.  I was trying to catch him but that made him run faster.  He ended up hitting it without ever seeing it.  Big crash.  No tears.  He was ticked off, but fine. 

As I got to him, I got a very clear sense of direction aimed at me.  I felt like God was saying “I’ve been trying to get your attention, but you won’t stop.  Go right or left, I’ll go with you either way.”  That was the actual moment I knew I was going to quit my professional, tax payer supported job to pursue a path with zero guaranteed income and no benefits.  Perfect.

That was 15 years ago and I still think the moment was solely for my benefit.  It made a tough decision obvious.  But what if He doesn’t hit you – or your kid - over the head to get your attention.  I have found three questions help me discern the way to go when faced with a decision.  I have also found that I really cannot screw up a decision like that.  He is God - of every job, every life and every direction, but these questions help me center my mind a bit when I am wondering about something, be it a job, a decision, a purchase, a course of action, it can even be a manner of thinking, God changing my mind, about anything.

Is He moving me?  Just because God puts you in a position does not mean that He will never move you again.  It may mean you are paying more attention to the possibility.  But I think that the answer to this question can be either a “Yes”, a “No” or a “Not sure”.  If the answer is yes, you can be a volunteer or a prisoner, but you are eventually moving – read the story of Jonah.

Is He encouraging me?  God told Noah to build an ark.  It took maybe 75 years to do so.  Do you think Noah ever got tired?  Probably.  He probably had neighbors wondering if he had lost his mind.  You may be bored with your current job or place in life, not dissatisfied, just in a routine.  Maybe God sees this and wants to help, kind of a divine halftime speech.  Let’s go get it. 

Is He just telling me to get back to work?  I can get distracted.  I can also get consumed by an issue.  I drive a lot.  Windshield time can be helpful to sort things out.  But it can also allow time for me to think up an issue that may not really be an issue.  Maybe I can be a little like a kid needing redirection.  That doesn’t mean I do not like where I am.  It may be that I just need to be reminded that He put me where I am for a reason.  Get back to it. 

My first two houses today put me in touch with a 75 year old man recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and with a woman in her 70’s who fought cancer years ago.  She still gets physically sick from the long term side effects of chemotherapy.  She weighed 88 pounds and has trouble with strength and balance.  In contrast we sat on his porch as he told me he had made the decision to “not fight”, which sure sounded like a form of fighting in and of itself.  I found myself remembering that I think I was made for this job, even when it’s hard. 

What do you think you were made to do?

Is that what you are doing?

Challenge:  Move.  Be encouraged.  Or get back to work.  I think too much. 

Rick Claiborn