Change
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First, I would like to apologize for our silence. Pregnancy and an odd combination of varying circumstances had put us out of commission for a while. But we're back and we couldn't be happier about it!
I feel like a certain amount of responsibility comes with a name like "We are the Vigilant". You might be wondering why we picked such an intense name for a blog, ministry, etc. Why not pick something a little more palatable? A little more "vanilla," if you will? And all I can say is, it just clicked. It touched on something that was our heart's cry. Not that Matt and I would just be vigilant, but that people would be inspired to wake up, to be aware, to say WE are the vigilant. Anyways...since the name of the blog implies we are watching and looking out for what's coming next, I guess that means we should at least be ready for whatever that is. So, I guess that also means we get to be the first to change, the first to adjust.
I've been thinking about the nature of change for a while. I even had an opportunity to speak on it recently and my wheels have been turning ever since. The other day I realized, DUH, that if I'm thinking about change so much maybe God is trying to get something across to me.
Here's the deal. I'm pregnant. Change is part of my M.O. My body is changing, my hormones are changing, my appetite is changing, my relationships are changing, it seems like EVERYTHING about me is changing. All I'm tempted to do is to hold on tight, close my eyes, and wait until it's all over and this little baby pops out. Then, I can focus on regulating my life again (I've done this before, I know that doesn't happen overnight). I would say I have a pretty good excuse to just maintain, to survive. But I don't want to. I don't want to just hide out for the next 6 months! I want to grow as a woman, a mother, a wife, and a child of God. I want to be stronger physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. God doesn't want me to stagnate either. I know you might be thinking, "Casey, you are growing a human, give yourself a break." Usually I would tend to agree, BUT change that brings about true life transformation is not going to look like the norm to everyone else and people might think you're just nuts. I'm prepared for that reality. And all I have to say is that the proof is in the pudding. If after I have this baby I'm thinking, "Man, I wish I would have sat on the couch a little longer and eaten a few more potato chips" then you're right...but I doubt you will be. ("You" being the hypothetical nay-sayer or just a more cynical version of myself.) Will there be moments when I need to sit on the couch? Yep. I am growing a human ;)
I guess what I am trying to say is that in the midst of all the change I can't control, it doesn't mean I get to stop taking responsibility for what I can. When we experience radical change in our lives it has a tendency to either put us in survival mode or wake us up. For the past 2 months because of other circumstances on top of being pregnant, I have totally been in survival mode. In that moment it was necessary, but what would be a BIG mistake is for me to just continue to survive and not change.
You know those scriptures that a lot of people know but we rarely apply the way we should? We kind of think, "Well, isn't that nice" and we move on. One of the scriptures that I always tend to come back to is:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.”
I know I would seem more spiritual if I found a more obscure scripture. I personally like the one about the voice of the Lord making the deer give birth (Psalm 29:9)...that would come in handy in September. Although I'm not a deer, I'm sure if I heard God's audible voice saying, "Baby, come forth" that child would practically leap from my womb. I digress.
Now how does Proverbs 3:5-6 apply to me and change? Well, I can totally trust the Lord for a healthy pregnancy, baby, all the stuff we'll need to take care of said baby. But am I acknowledging the Lord in all my ways? Am I acknoledging Him when I eat half a box of Milk Duds? Am I acknowledging Him when I decide not to work out because I just don't feel like it? Am I treating my body like the temple He says it is? Am I acknowledging Him when I'm on social media rather than spending time cultivating my relationship with Him?
The times in my life when I undoubtedly feel the reality of my relationship with the Lord most potently are when I don't just acknowledge Him but when I acknowlegde Him in everything I do. I can totally say, "Hi, God," and acknowledge Him when I'm checking Facebook, but I didn't really ask Him what He thought about it. I didn't really ask Him if there is something I should (gasp) change.
Allowing the Word of God and the leading of the Spirit of God to saturate every facet of our lives may sound extreme to some. I'm not talking about asking God if I should wear blue or green everyday. Can you say, FLAKEY? No, I'm talking about making God glorifying choices. The choices we make that are glorifying to God are always going to end up being for our good. This is acknowlegding Him in all our ways. And when we acknowlegde Him in ALL our ways, He directs our paths. Meaning we start changing! When we start acknowledging Him in everything it is very possible that God will completely change our direction in life. And because He is a God we can trust we know that where He leads us is always going to exceed our expectations (Ephesians 3:20).
This is the kind of life change I'm talking about. This is the kind of life change I'm embracing. In spite of my present state, I know that the rest of my life doesn't have to take a backseat. Are there areas in your life that you have a hard time acknowledging God in? Are there circumstances in your life that have put you in survival mode? What are the things you can take responsibility for and in turn start glorifying God in? These are just a few questions that I think are definitely worth taking the time to ask.
Tweet this - The choices we make that are glorifying to God are always going to end up being for our good.
Tweet this - Because He is a God we can trust, we know that where He leads us will always exceed our expectations.
