How God directs our lives (part 2)

I had intended to continue this topic with another story early on in my faith, but I think that talking about what God has been doing to me recently is far more interesting and relevant. If you remember from part 1, I talked about Outside Influences and how God uses things around you. In this post, I want to speak about God moving from within.


To preface this story, you need to know a little bit about my life a year ago. I was still in college at Clemson University, getting ready to graduate after my third senior year (yeah, another story for another time). I was serving at Newspring Church in Anderson, SC and was absolutely loving every minute of it. You see, Newspring was the church I dedicated my life to Christ in. It was the church I grew up in. The first church I ever went to that was fun. After one particularly awesome Sunday, I told God I never wanted to leave this place. In fact, I had already made future plans so that I could stay in town.


About a year ago, I walked into church, sat on the right hand side, 4 rows back, and began to worship God. Suddenly, a thought popped into my head.



--You're not going to be here much longer



"Interesting", I said to myself. More interesting was how I took that thought. There was no nervousness, no fear, no arguing. Even stranger, there was no doubt. I just got that thought, and knew that it was true. That's what made it truly interesting.


You see, by that point in my life, God had already stripped away the girl I was dating at the time, the job that I intended to keep after I graduated, and the plans I had for the next 18 months of my life. I had suddenly found myself in a position of total loss, and amazingly enough, total freedom. I had the freedom to answer God's call in my life and to follow his direction.


It was hardly a surprise to me when a few months later, God gave me this burning passion to move to Charlotte. For the last 7 years I had lived only 2 hours away from Charlotte and never thought about it, never went to it, never cared about it. Suddenly, it was all I could think about, all I wanted, all I was looking forward to. I knew God had put it on my heart and I knew that it was the next step in my journey. I just had no idea why.


So I did what I had to, I moved to Charlotte after graduation. Two weeks later, I came back to Newspring for our youth trip to Panama City, Florida. Some day I will have to blog about what a stinking amazing experience that was!! I am so blessed to know the most amazing students and leaders on the planet!! For this story however, you just need to know that the week was one of the most amazing of my life in youth ministry, but it was the bus ride home that was truly interesting.

The way my life was about to unfold, we were going to arrive in the parking lot of Newspring Church and I was going to get in my car and drive to Charlotte for the last time. That night would be the last I had with my students and my friends as a volunteer of Newspring Church. I should have been depressed. I should have been torn up, doubting my decision to leave, clinging onto the relationships I had made. After all, I had nothing in Charlotte but a strange new city that I didn't know.


--If this is what I'm taking you from....... Imagine what I'm sending you to.



"Interesting".


I wasn't the least bit depressed. If anything, I was even more excited than ever! I couldn't even think straight the whole way home. I didn't know what God had before me, but I knew it was going to blow my mind to little bits. God had given me the most amazing send off I could have asked for. In his amazing power, he took a moment that should have been one of the saddest, and used it to fire me up like charcoal grill with 7 gallons of lighter fluid and 1 briquette.


And the really crazy thing is that he hasn't freaking stopped!! In the last three months he has been using the desires of my heart to direct my path. He is pumping me up to a level I never dreamed of, making me a bigger nut than ever. I can't sleep at night because all I can think about is the work he is calling me to. He has put me on a path and is moving my life forward at a speed that only He is capable of and I love it!

I pray that he never stops pulling at my heart. I pray that he never stops redirecting my desires so that He can direct my path. And I pray that He never stops blowing away the expectations I have.