Cliff Diving

No, I haven’t ever done this myself. I am not much of a swimmer; I hate heights; and I am scared to death of hitting rocks. There is no way that I would literally dive off of a precipice, but I have jumped off the cliff with God.

I think of Abraham, whom God called to leave behind his country, family, and home to go to a place that God would show him (Gen. 12:1). In those days country-hopping wasn’t very easy. There was no airplane flying Abraham to this new land to look it over and consider God’s instructions. Leaving his land likely meant that someone else would take it over. It is always more comfortable to stay where we are than to risk something new. The situation sounds pretty cliff-like to me! Abraham faced a line of decision, which crossed would mean no turning back.

When God calls us to the edge of the cliff, he urges us to trust him enough to jump.

A Prayer for a New Year

Instead of making resolutions which I can never keep, I am asking God to do some things in my life this year:

Directionless or Directed?

God doesn’t seem to be leading me anywhere right now. It has been almost two years since I left my church staff position. At that time the only direction I had was to write a book based on my curriculum designed to grow women’s influence. I spoke at women’s conferences and retreats—opportunities which God clearly provided by his sovereign hand. I am now completing the final edits on the book to self-publish it. But what is next? No doors have opened; no voice has spoken; and no sign has appeared in the skies. I don’t like being in limbo and am getting impatient with this waiting. Have you ever felt that God left you without a compass?

How do we navigate such times? What path do we take without clear direction? How do we maintain faith when God seems to have forgotten that we are available? How is God guiding when he seems so silent?

Holding onto Hope in the Midst of Broken Reality

Life is tough; we face problems in relationships, careers, families, finances, and every other situation involved in living on this broken planet. God calls us to have hope and joy despite such challenges, even while we grieve and suffer and hurt. I am particularly challenged in the practicalities of having hope and believing that God can make the broken whole while at the same time not let it cut me right now. 

Maybe you relate. Perhaps your marriage is broken and your spouse has filed for divorce. Do you fight it or do you protect your future and what is rightfully yours? When do you simply accept a new reality and move forward? It could be that you have a life-threatening illness. Do you continue praying for healing when the treatment is failing or prepare your family for your death? How does hope work with the reality of life’s brokenness? How do we continue to trust God and show deep faith when reality suggests otherwise?

God's "No"

My dog Libby has been on limited activity for eight weeks now from ACL surgery (see blog of 1-17-11, “I Don’t Always Get It”).  One of Libby’s favorite pastimes is watching TV on alert for other animals, particularly dogs. When they show up onscreen, she goes crazy, impulsively jumping up on the chair nearest the television and barking furiously at them. Right now when I have her with me and an animal appears, I scream “NO!” and grab her collar to hold her on my lap. Twice she jumped off so quickly that I was unable to stop her—not healthy for her leg!

Similarly, I can imagine God watching and saying NO to my foolish or dangerous actions.