Outside of the Box

There is something about change that can make you feel a little insecure.  Well, it can down right make you feel like the dumbest girl in the room.   (A quick plug her for one of my favorite blogs to read: Chance Scoggins: Dumbest Guy in the Room. http://www.chancescoggins.com/the-dumbest-guy-in-the-room )  I have said before that I am usually pretty comfortable in my skin.  I know more or less what I am willing to do or not do, and I certainly know what I believe in.  However, change makes me uneasy, and worse it makes me question. Change is something that makes me feel afraid, and well, just plain old out of sorts. 

Change means making decisions and making choices.  It has never been more apparent to me than how important choices are since having my daughter.   My choices are so much more serious now that I have a child.  It use to be easy to decide things, but now I find myself contemplating things like, is my daughter going to need therapy because I have accidentally made her into a germ a-phobe?  There is nothing like living with a literal child, to make you think before every decision.  It is the flippant decisions and choices I make that get me in trouble.  It was just last night that I was metaphorically slapped in the face when, my 5 year old said, "Oh crap!"  Yep, my choice for a "better" word is still not a better word for a 5 year old.

My life seems to be in the midst of changes.   I am changing as a Christian.  I am changing as a mother.  I am changing my priorities, and considering things that did not use to matter, actually do matter.  Of course, the Lord is sovereign in the examples He gives through His word.  I think it is no coincidence that we are studying Gideon in Sunday school.  I love the story of Gideon, and find him extremely relate-able. ( Is that even a word? Guess not, but I am using it anyway!)  Gideon is the perfect example of how I react when it is time for me to step out of my box.  As the story goes Gideon was basically found hiding in a corner.  He was minding his own business, when an Angel of the Lord came and said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."  I love that Gideon's reaction was skeptical and he basically said,"oh yeah, can you prove it?"

Isn't that how so many of us are when we are confronted with change?  The first reaction: I can't do that; that is way to far out of MY comfy box.  If this is what I am suppose to do then, I need a sign.  I just need to be sure.  The questions come and go and the internal decisions begin to form.  As I think about the decisions that need to be made, I want my choices to be specific.  As I said, it is the flippant decisions that often come back to bite me in the metaphorical butt.

Here are a few things that I want to actively choose:

I choose LOVE.
I choose JOY.
I choose HOPE.
I choose FAITH.
I choose OBEDIENCE.
I choose KINDNESS.

The Bible is riddled with examples of God taking the least likely person, and making them great!  First, Abraham and Sarah, promised children, that they were too old to have.  However, God didn't think they were too old, he thought they were perfect for His plans.  Then there was Moses, called to set His people free, the very one who was once the son and brother of the oppressors.  Who can forget David?  The small child who killed the giant Goliath and gave the Israelites victory over the Philistines.  Then there was Mary, the quiet but obedient virgin mother of Jesus.  I can't leave out Saul who persecuted Christians, but then became Paul, one of the authors of several new Testament books, and a great preacher of the gospel.  These are just a few examples, there are many, many more.  A theme through out the Bible, God likes to take people out of their boxes.  He likes to show that His imagination is beyond our beyond.  The common theme in each example is that each CHOSE Jesus, and they chose to step out of their comfort zone.  It wasn't easy for any of them but God was Faithful.

It is only with Jesus and the gift of the Holy spirit, that I believe it is possible to confidently step outside of the box.  The author of HOPE, wants us to use our FAITH, to OBEDIENTLY follow his calling.  Change is scary, but maybe by making the right choices change can be the more rewarding, more fulfilling, and more meaningful than staying in the same comfy box.  

This is my mindset, now let me hear yours!