You want me to what??????

This may seem disjointed and stream of consciousness but I trust you, dear readers, to figure out the message you need to receive. 

p. 46 “We are not called to fear what following the way of Jesus may require of us, but that doesn’t mean those fears won’t crop up.”

1.  Infuse: (v.) 1. Fill; pervade: 2. Instill (a quality) in someone or something:

When our lives are infused with the Holy Spirit, we are filled, a new quality has been instilled.  When a pitcher is filled with water it inherently gets wet; but it has not stopped being a pitcher.  When hot water is infused with tea it does not stop being water it simply takes on a new flavor. 

2. Our identity is one of those truths that we build our lives on.  We understand who we are, but how fragile our lives appear if our identity is challenged or if somehow it changes.  If our lives are infused with the Holy Spirit change is inevitable and every aspect of our life comes into play.

3. What if God refuses to show up?  We are called to trust that God will follow through.  We are called to act as though we know that God will show up.  However all of us have had those experiences where we counted on God but felt that God has not shown up.  I think our fear is not that God won’t show up but that God won’t show up as we want.  We fear losing control.  If we are called to risk then we must know that God will be the safety net we need rather than the safety we want.

4.  What if God does show up? “What if” is such a daunting question.  We seek control and if God shows up that control goes out the window.  Do we really have faith that “everything will be ok?” We are concerned that everything will be ok but ask ourselves “by what standard?”

5.  Expectations:  Will I live into the world’s expectations?  Will I live into God’s expectations?  Will I live into my family’s expectations?  Will I live into my expectations?

6.  Obedience:  What does it mean to be obedient to the Spirit’s leading?  Will I lose my voice if I accept this challenge?  I am concerned for the cost.  Will what I gain really make up for what I may lose?  Am I allowing my fear to out-weigh the opportunity? 

7.  What if we knew with no doubts that God was calling us to put it all on the line?  Where do we go from there?