While most of the country has a three-day weekend this weekend, I (and a few million of my unemployed friends) have a seven-day weekend. Every weekend. Woohoo! Kegger at my place! You bring the Fritos and bean dip (my favorite college party snack).
All kidding aside, I am trying to enjoy this time of my life. While it was forced upon me and I would not have chosen this for myself, it is quite exhilarating! And it is in keeping with what I feel God has been doing with my life over the past 18 months.
Elements from the book of "Exodus" have been cropping up a lot lately. I feel like it must be the new theme for this season of my life. Actually it makes perfect sense - like Moses and the Israelites, I have spent the last 40 years wandering around in the desert doing what I wanted to do, doing what I've thought is best based on what the rest of the world says. Have you looked at the news lately? Why would I ever want to do anything the way the rest of the world does? It's a complete and total mess.
But I am finally tired of it and I want a better way.
That's why I chose to call this blog "Following the Pillars." For too long, I have been a slave to a multitude of life-suckers (consumer debt, status, financial security, approval of man, temporary gain, etc.) and now that God has opened my eyes to it, I am ready to leave this life of bondage behind.
God promises throughout His word that He hears us and will rescue us from our "oppressors" -- if we will only call on Him. (Take note: there is at least a little responsibility on our part. Otherwise, you have no room to complain.)
He can rescue us by supernaturally leading us out of our current circumstances, like He did most recently with my job. I can sit here and cry about what has happened to me and complain that I want to go back (mostly because it's all I know and the future is so uncertain), or I can get on board and see this as the awesome adventure that my heart tells me it is.
The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey...
Exodus 3:7-8
Today in church, our pastor taught on this very subject. We don't really even know we're being held captive, the bondage is so incremental. We think freedom is in living life the way we want to, when actually it's in living the life God made us for. We mistakenly think following Him takes away our liberty. Yes, it's true, we do have to give up certain things to follow Him, but personally, the things I have had to give up don't actually benefit me when I stop to think about it. They only make me more selfish or more lazy or more entitled or more _________. I don't miss ANYTHING this world gave me.
Opportunities with people are the only thing I truly have any regrets about, but as long as I'm alive, I know God can bring restoration or reconciliation to any wounded relationship at any time. I trust that He will. Because when it comes down to it, His second biggest commandment (after loving Him) is to love one another. PEOPLE are all that matter. That tells me I'm not here for the reasons the world tells me I'm here for.
I'm not here to serve industry - though I can do much good for others through my job.
I'm not here to serve the environment - though I should take care of it while I'm here.
I'm not here to serve government - though I can be a responsible citizen, vote and speak my mind.
And I'm not here to serve myself - though I can take care of my body, enjoy my life and be the best me I can be.
Ideally, I'm here to serve you. And ideally, you're here to serve me.
Can you imagine how well this broken world would work if everyone put that as their first priority?
So why don't we? Because the life-suckers I mentioned earlier have clouded our vision and gotten us off course. It is not too late, however, to return to "the good way." (Jeremiah 6:16)
If you want you some milk and honey, too, let's ask God the way and keep our eyes open for the "pillars" He will use to lead us.
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