The Irony of It All...

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

It's ironic that in all my years of newsletters, I am not sure if I've ever written a "thought" on Jeremiah 29:11.

Also ironic is the very nature of what I do...

I was thinking today how very much out of my comfort zone most of my life is these days. And I was also struck by the fact that most of the people who know me now wouldn't really see the irony in what I do.

The joke within my family is that we do what we do - full-time, very public ministry - and I don't like people! Now, that statement is not entirely true, but it does bring home the point that left to myself, I could happily live on a deserted island. I would gladly take the back seat in life, stay out of the limelight, and file cards in a library somewhere.

By nature, I am NOT a social person. Even now, though I speak to groups of students and children on a regular basis, put me in a room where I have to relate to people on a more personal level, and I panic! Not noticeably, I hope, but definitely, inside, I just would like to go hide in a back corner somewhere and sneak out after everybody else is gone.

I don't do that - usually - because in spite of the joke that I don't like people, the truth is that I have this LOVE for people that compels me to step out of what is comfortable. And really, more than a love for people is a love for the Savior who stepped far out of His comfort zone for me.

Not too long ago, I was at a church that did what they called a "spiritual gift inventory". I was very disappointed in the process because basically all that was accomplished is that people took a little test that confirmed what they LIKE to do. And while I certainly think that if you can do something for the Lord that you like, you should by all means do it, I don't think that the Lord necessarily chooses to use us most effectively while we are doing the things we like. I think that His purposes more often involve stretching us beyond what we can do comfortably on our own.

I am reminded of the apostle Peter who encountered Jesus one day while he was well within his comfort zone : the fisherman was in the boat (see Matthew 14). It didn't really take a lot of faith for Peter to stay in the boat- that's something he had experience at. But stepping out of the boat - now that's a different story! The scary thing about walking on water, Peter discovered, was that you can't do it on your own. The ONLY way to do it is by keeping your eyes on Jesus, walking literally by faith and not by sight.

So when God said through Jeremiah "I know the plans I have...", He was referring to plans that would be different from our own - plans that might be uncomfortable or scary or completely out of character. That was the case with the captives to whom this verse was written, and that will be the case with you and I as well.

So before you go getting too comfortable with your plans, better see what the Lord has in mind. It probably won't be easy, and it may not be anything you ever pictured yourself doing, but hold on tight - it will be an amazing journey!

Just a thought...