Repair

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Have you ever been given advice or been told something and it just didn't sit well with you? Or because this person is older and you should probably listen to them out of respect or whatever it is you take their words to be true even though...as I mentioned they just didn't sit right with you?  I think these comments or nuggets of "advice" can really hinder your relationship with God if you take them to be true without researching what God's heart is on the matter. 

I was listening to my favorite Preachers over at Northcoast Church.  This week was Pastor Larry's turn and he was giving a message on great faith never being blind faith.  The story he used as an example was the old Bible School favorite of Jesus calling Peter and his brother Andrew from their fishing boat to become Fisher's of Men.  How many times have we been told the story about Peter's great leap of faith to follow instantly, without being told the back-story and the history that Jesus had with Peter and Andrew.  They had known each other long before, and brothers had witnessed miracles before Jesus called them to follow.

Often times because of these stories taken out of context by well meaning people, Christ followers think that the more crazy a thing you're doing the more in line with God's plan you are.  I loved what Pastor Larry said using Matthew 11:28-30    

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

Pastor Larry said Jesus didn't say "Come to me all who are weary and I will show you what weary is!" And this my friends is what I've been struggling with.  My husband's chosen profession is Ministry.  I love this about him, he is a great teacher.  But I was told from numerous well meaning people that I should prepare myself for a life of misery.  No, of course they didn't say it like that but basically that I should not expect to live near my family nor ask God to bring me near my family because he would not grant me that, in fact he would grant me the opposite of that.

You know here I am roughly 4 hours away from my family, we made the decision to be here because it was right for us for now.  Maybe it will be right for us at a later point to not be in the same town as my family but that is not because God doesn't want me to be near my family.  This is not the God we serve. I don't know how I let my heart become hardened toward God based on the myth that God is so mean as that.  But I did, and you know what? It really doesn't say in the Bible that Megan should live here or there...but it does tell me HOW I should live where ever I am, and that is the most important thing to God.  Not where but how. I'm so thankful for that sermon from Pastor Larry because I needed to hear this in order to being to repair my broken relationship with the Lord.