S8 E55: Is God Asking You To Do That?

Is God asking you to do that? Yep, that's what I want to talk about today, so. I'm glad you're here. OK, recently I was listening to a podcast that is a podcast I listened to. Regularly. And the person she was interviewing, they they they were going to be talking about rest. My ears perked up as you know this is an area that I'm passionate about learning and living in, and she began to explain how she had read lots of books on the subject and as good as they all were, they just didn't fit her personality and pace of life. And I was kind of like, hmm, which I totally get why she could feel that way. I have had the same thoughts and actually came to realize that that's exactly why I needed rest. So as this person shared more, she proceeded to explain her journey into what led her to basically experiencing a breakdown, and LED her to wanting to explore finding rest.

Yeah.

Fit her life and who she was and. I found myself feeling a little disappointed as I listened and I'm not judging her or her journey. A journey that I myself and I'm sure so many of you listening can relate to, and I guess maybe disappointment might not be the correct word. Maybe frustrated. It's probably more accurate of what I felt. You know, frustrated that as I was listening to her listing off all the things that she was doing that led up to this breakdown. And most they were all good things. They were all great and noble and godly. What we would term godly things that she felt called to do. So I found myself thinking and asking the question is God asking you to do that as I was hearing the list of all the things, things that I had felt so many times called of God to do in my own life. So again, I'm not trying to come at this particular person. She's not the point. The point is, and the questions that were rising up out of me. As I was listening, was not pointing a finger at her. It was pointing back at me and that I felt like I wanted to talk about today. Because that question is God asking you to do, that is a hard and a confusing question that is hard for us to often answer. Is a question that takes courage to ask. And takes courage to hear and to receive the answer or an answer that might possibly not be the answer. That we want it to be. So the subject in this question is so important to me as I have walked through. Seasons of entangling the purposes of God and the purposes of man in my own life, and it's not a task for the faint of heart I have found and. I'm still finding. These two purposes can be so intertwined that. When you start to try and separate the purposes of God and the purposes of man, it feels like when you have two necklaces or bracelets that you are trying to untangle, and as you're trying to untangle and separate them, there are times or maybe it's. Just me that. You can't tell which is which. I mean, it's just a mangled mess. And so intertwined and as you are working them, trying to separate them, then you found that you've made a knot in the process of trying to untangle the two pieces. And so now you have to deal with the knot getting the knot. The point is, it's not an easy process. And here's the thing, most of us are coming to this place from a sincere and a tender place of wanting to love and to follow God with everything that we are. So after listening to this conversation of this wife and this mother, this author and speaker, as she ran together, you know, ran. Through all that. Her life held and all that she felt called to and desired and wanted. And admittedly, was crushing the life out of her soul. You know, to me the question wasn't how can I find rest in all of this? I questioned, are you actually supposed to be doing? All of this. No, I can remember when my kids were all young and at home. And seeing books and hearing this tagline, you can have it all. And at that time it was this message to women and mothers that I do think was very much needed in one aspect. But the message was you don't have to set aside your life and your desires. You know, when you have a family, if you get, if you choose to get married and have a family. And I wholeheartedly agree on the surface. But I found at that time of my life I found that I had to. Tweak that line. You can't have it all, but not all at once, and more specifically most likely not in the same season. No, because I absolutely believe that you can continue to put your hand to the desires in your heart when you're in the midst of raising babies. But I also believe that how that that might look for you if you want to truly flourish in your soul, that is probably going to look different in the different seasons of your life. And that is a beautiful thing. One of my favorite thoughts these days is you will not miss what God has for you. And maybe why that just is ringing so true in my life is because I feel like I'm living that truth in real time. And I know what it's like to. Be single and to be a young wife and navigating, becoming one with someone and then having a house full of babies. And I know what it feels like to be in the midst of that and. Feel like you're losing part of yourself and.

And.

To to the people and to all of the things that you feel responsible for. So if you're, if you're feeling any of those things I want, I want you to hear this, that. You will not miss what God has for you, because I think the enemy, when you are in those days, that feel overwhelming and mundane. And you feel like you are not fully living out. The desires of your heart, even though I've told the story many times of Maine, having a little breakdown in the midst of one of those days, and my husband lovingly yet truthfully looking me in the eyes and saying it's what you always wanted, and it was. And most of you feeling overwhelmed in those moments. It is what you desire and it is what you want. That the enemy has a way of wanting us, no matter what the situation. We're sitting in the midst of all the piles of laundry and the screaming kids and the endless dishes that we always. Please wanted the house full of noise and kids. The enemy wants to come and and torture us and say, what are you missing because so it doesn't matter what the scenario is. I'm using that example because that was my life and many of you listening. But your life can look totally different. It doesn't matter what your life looks like. The point is, no matter what it is, what, no matter what your days look like, the enemy of your soul is always going to come to each of us in whatever area it is, and he's going to whisper to us you're missing out. You're missing something. And I want to remind you today that you will not miss when your heart is toward God and the things of God. You will not miss what God has for you. He's not trying to trick you and and lead you down. Some detour, those detours will grow you, and they will teach you and make you more dependent on him. But you will not miss what God has for you. Oh. I was reminded of the scripture from Matthew Witch. In a version that you're probably more familiar with, reads like this. Come to me. All you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. And learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Right.

And the scripture is at the start of each seasonal journal and it's written in the message version that reads like this. Are you tired, worn out, burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you will recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest walk with me and work with me. Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely. And lightly. I remember my husband won teaching about this verse and explaining about a yoke, what a yoke actually was. But this joke is not an everyday word for most of us, but in the. You will. A yoke. You know, it refers to a wooden beam or frame that was used to join a pair of oxen or other animals together to where they can work together and pull a heavy load, you know? So there are numerous references in the Bible to yoke. Which illustrate their importance in daily life. Then, when Jesus referenced A yoke being easy, it meant something to the people hearing it. He wanted people to understand that. Any kind of law keeping or rule keeping was burned some and it amounted to a heavy yoke and felt oppressive because no amount of law keeping or rules could bridge this gap between our sinfulness and humanity and God's holiness. And all that God is. So this verse and the conversation that I had heard it had me asking the question again. For all of us whose yoke? Am I wearing? And more importantly. Whose yoke am I being led by? What yoke is leading me? What yoke am I being led by? Your religion wants to keep you and I burdened down and carrying the weight. Checklist of to DOS and activities that that make us feel like we are earning our right with God. When Jesus is pretty clear that he is not putting. Any of that on? Us it is impossible for us. To earn the relationship that is ours. To freely receive. But life can be so noisy that it it can be hard for us to decipher whose voice we are being led by. And here's the thing. We are all being led and formed and influenced. Even if it's us being led by ourselves. But even if it comes down to ourselves, we as individuals we have been influenced and formed since the day we were born. And you and I definitely have a role to play. And following God. Spiritual formation has become a more trendy word these past few years, but its concept and what it actually means is far from new. Far from new, you know we are all being formed by something and as believers. We want to be intentional about our heart and our souls being formed into the image of Christ Day by day and moment by moment. I love how John Mark Comer. Talks about. Spiritual formation. He says formation into the image of Jesus isn't something we do as much as it's something that is done to us by God himself. As we yield to his work of transforming grace. Our job is mostly to make ourselves available. Pick your analogy from Scripture where the sheep is the shepherd where the clay is the Potter where the child in utero, he is the mother laboring in the pains of childbirth. This doesn't mean we're off the hook. Let go and let God. No, we have a responsibility to cooperate with God's transforming grace. He won't force it on us. As Saint Augustine said in the 4th century, without God, we cannot without us, God will not. Much of Christians, current disillusionment over their lack of transformation, is because they have never learned their part in spiritual formation. But our job isn't to self save, it's to surrender. That last line, our job isn't to self save. It's to surrender. So I guess the question that I want to ask today is, are we being formed into the image and likeness of Jesus? Are we being formed in imaging the likeness of someone we admire or our best friend or parent Jesus wants to show himself strong in you and I, and that's not always going to look like his image in someone you admire or your closest friends. To follow Christ means to follow him. And to live our everyday ordinary life as one Bible paraphrase says it around, that meaning our relationships or marriages or parenting our work and our play. All of it. Flowing out of his love for us and that love flowing out into everywhere that we are. In everything that we do. Ordinarily, as being formed into his image. Of perfect love. What a beautiful invitation. To this perfect love and life that you and I have been invited to. And. I just want to remind you today that you are loved. And your God, your creator. Loves you. And is for you. It is forever faithful. We'll talk soon.