Journey with God

Kristen had her next to the last orthodontist appointment this week. As I waited, I read more of Wide Awake by Erwin McManus. Here's what I highlighted:

If you're going to engage in a journey with God, if you are going to follow the God who created you, if you're going to explore mysterious, dangerous, unknown, uncertain places - then you need to know how to reinvent yourself. You have to learn how to adapt.

One of the amazing things about the Jewish people is that under incredible oppression, under extraordinary difficulty, time and time again in different environments and circumstances (almost always oppressive), they have managed not only to survive but also to thrive. They have found ways in the midst of persecution to accomplish extraordinary things that have guided and shaped the course of human history.

...if you're going to dare to imagine and pursue the dreams God has for your life, if you're going to create the life of your dreams you have to be willing and ready to change.

The skills and competencies and experiences you've had in the past will not be enough for every challenge you will face in the future. They are enough to prepare you, but not enough to sustain you. You must build on the past but live for the future.

All too often we allow ourselves to believe that people who accomplish great things somehow stumble on opportunity or gain an unfair advantage over the rest of us. Yet we find that most often quite the opposite is true. Look at the stories of Daniel and Esther.

You don't get to choose your parents,
your race, or your skin color;
you don't get to choose
you're language or economic condition
when you're born into this world.
You don't get any say about the beginning
of your life journey,
but you have a great deal
to say about
the destination of your journey
and how that journey shapes you.

Your circumstances do not determine your opportunities. The more challenging your circumstances, the greater your opportunity to see God raise you to new levels of living.

Your circumstances do not equal your opportunity, because your opportunity is shaped not simply by your external factors but by the internal factors of who you choose to be and become.

Good stuff, huh? I think of where I am and where I've been. I grew up the child of a suicidal alcoholic. My parents divorced when I was 7 and I was the child of a single mother until I moved out at 18 and put myself through college. Those college years were hungry years. I remember having a budget of $10/week for food. Lots of top ramen, mac & cheese, cream of wheat, and in a good week, peanut butter. My '74 Ford Pinto got me to school my senior year of high school and then the 40 miles each way to college, until I slowly moved closer and closer. I lived in nice apartments and a scary one. I didn't become a Christian until I was 23. At 25 I married. At 27 had a son, at 29 separated and had our daughter. More lean years followed, but God was always faithful. He provided for me when I saw no way to make the ends meet. It's true that you can't pick your circumstances when you're born, but you can make choices as you get older that will change the direction of your life. It's up to you if those choices will improve and degrade your situation. God is faithful.