Have you ever listened to his voice even when it seems like the craziest thing to do? When you’re at the top of your game and he says stop. An absurd idea especially when you’re someone like me. Someone who follows life’s demands of this is what you’re suppose to do. My whole life surrounded by those closest to me giving me crazy eyes at just the word writer. I can remember several stories of me running down the stairs with the newest poem in my hands and the bubble popping. The blank look and then the question…what does this mean? Grew up in this world and then married into it. No one understanding. Every day seemed like walking through a funny house because every day I hoped there’d be understanding and every day the same words and the same look. The words of this dream is not worth the paper it’s written on.
Yet, what if you’re in another career path and this is where God is leading you? Or what if you’re already successful and God says stop – I want you to do this? Strange, how this has been the story of the hour lately. The woman who owned a prosperous shop who was told go raise your children. A radio host given the same message. Then there is me. This book series lurking and feeling it to my core, but not taking the leap. The leap to not be a weekend writer, but the leap to take this seriously. Knowing every day I am putting God on pause.
Every day wanting to listen to other people’s stories. The stories where beauty arrives when your feet leave the ground. So why is it so hard for us to lift our feet?
Maybe it’s because the ground feels so solid and this other choice is candy land drifting in the clouds. We know the ground. We understand it. There is not a lot of uncertainty. Our track records are on the ground. My clients know me. My path has been strong. Yet my path is not where the trail is turning. The question is…Do you listen? Although, this journey may not be new, it feels different. For me, this is the disciples being told you need to leave it all behind. It does not feel comfortable.
It’s not comfortable to take the path of most resistance. Unfortunately, like many people, there is not a person with the pillow waiting to catch me if I fall. There is no earthly supporter who says now is your time. The person who says you have this let’s leap. The person who grabs your hand and together you jump. If you have this type of support please hold onto it strongly, but if you don’t -do you listen?
This is the question before me right now. If I don’t listen, my life can stay as it is; which has many blessings. However, if I do listen, there may be a lot more behind door #2. So what do you do? Do you keep door 2 locked or do you open it with all of the insecurities, darkness, and fear?
What if we didn’t rely on ourselves opening door 2, but we prayed to him? Praying not for what is behind door 2, but praying to follow the journey. Praying God will guide us on the path. Praying we hear his voice correctly. Praying his support is enough. Praying to have peace in the decision. It is a lot of praying and getting out of our own heads in order to audibly hear his voice. It is not relying on us, but relying on him. Again, it is not relying on us, but relying on him. Because when you rely on humans, there is a ton of fog. When you rely on him, there is clarity. So the only answer is to listen to him. The only answer is to be secure in him. For if we keep Door 2 locked, cob webs grow and dreams die. If we open the possibilities to Door 2, who knows where the possibilities can take us. It may not be heaven behind the clouds, but whatever happens it will be an experience and it will be an experience with God.
