I alluded to in my last post that I am being challenged or encouraged in the area of leadership. For those of you out there who know me, know that I have often shied away from leadership roles. To be honest, I just didn't think I had it in me - confidence is not a quality I have been known to embrace. I would much rather follow. All that being said, since being home from my TREK experience, it's been interesting the doors God has opened and placed in front of me. Simply put, I am finding myself in roles and situations where I am exercising leadership.
-I am leading and organizing our church's youth group - granted it's small and intimate, but I am leading nonetheless.
-I am in a new job where I am often placed in a role of initiating conversation, net.working with colleagues and people interested in doing missions.
-And lastly, in a few short months, I will be leading an ACTION team to Portugal this summer for 6 weeks.
Never in a million years, prior to me returning home did I imagine me in any of these roles and yet I am finding myself in awe of how my life is unfolding, even if it is nothing like I expected. A friend reminded me yesterday over lunch, even though I may not see myself as a leader or a person who possesses this particular gift, that does not mean that God cannot work through me because He is the ultimate leader.
It's funny, my past decisions in life have pointed to insecurity and paralyzing self doubt and yet, I continue to be transformed in every area of my life. I feel encouraged and very excited (even if there are moments where I feel like "what on earth am I doing?"). I don't want to ignore these open doors and promptings. Rather, I want to be a part of what God is pruning and fine tuning in me. Here I am, embracing the role of leader.
Through some of my quiet time, God has been encouraging me and challenging me through Isaiah 55. As I continue to find myself in roles of leadership, I hope Isaiah 55 can be true of me.
"Hey there! All who are thirsty,
come to the water!
Are you penniless?
Come anyway—buy and eat!
Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk.
Buy without money—everything's free!
Why do you spend your money on junk food,
your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best,
fill yourself with only the finest.
Pay attention, come close now,
listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words.
I'm making a lasting covenant commitment with you,
the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.
I set him up as a witness to the nations,
made him a prince and leader of the nations,
And now I'm doing it to you:
You'll summon nations you've never heard of,
and nations who've never heard of you
will come running to you
Because of me, your God,
because The Holy of Israel has honored you."
Seek God while he's here to be found,
pray to him while he's close at hand.
Let the wicked abandon their way of life
and the evil their way of thinking.
Let them come back to God, who is merciful,
come back to our God, who is lavish with forgiveness.
"I don't think the way you think.
The way you work isn't the way I work."
God's Decree.
"For as the sky soars high above earth,
so the way I work surpasses the way you work,
and the way I think is beyond the way you think.
Just as rain and snow descend from the skies
and don't go back until they've watered the earth,
Doing their work of making things grow and blossom,
producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry,
So will the words that come out of my mouth
not come back empty-handed.
They'll do the work I sent them to do,
they'll complete the assignment I gave them.
"So you'll go out in joy,
you'll be led into a whole and complete life.
The mountains and hills will lead the parade,
bursting with song.
All the trees of the forest will join the procession,
exuberant with applause.
No more thistles, but giant sequoias,
no more thornbushes, but stately pines—
Monuments to me, to God,
living and lasting evidence of God."
~Isaiah 55 (the Message)
