Life with God can lead you in any direction. A person by your side that you never expected, a trip you could never dream of, or challenges that only make sense in movies. This could be a reason to keep your space from a true and real relationship with God. But if we think about it, life without God is the same. Incredible highs and devastating lows. Surprises that take your breath away, waiting to see what happens next.
The big difference is that a life with God does not depend on trending happenstance. You have an anchor to keep you grounded, a compass so that you don’t get lost, and a friend to keep you inspired.
My life with God has not been any less of a roller coaster. I never know what is up next. There are times where he sends me on a path stuffed with obstacles and I question if I can make it. I know I can because he made me a promise. I always come back to Philippians 2:13: for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. He is my anchor. I know I am safe and stable, although the waters appear rough. He has my map. I trust He knows where He is taking me and why, even though it makes no sense to me. He is my counselor. I know I can talk to Him along the way when things get tough.
Yesterday was no different, another adventure. I can’t find a church where I feel a sense of peace. So, I decided to go to a different church every Sunday until I find that one, where God tells me, this is it! I set my eyes on a church called Direction church of Orlando. I chose it because in the reviews everyone spoke highly of the kids’ program, and the jumpy houses. Dinner and a show, I thought. Perfect. I put it into the GPS, and it said 45 minutes to your destination. I won’t lie this almost made me stay home. 45 minutes in Orlando traffic! That could make anyone question God. I was able to free myself from those negative thoughts and off we went. As we got closer, I was thinking about what this place could look like. They have a huge kids ministry; it is probably some type of huge mega church like building. The GPS said your destination is on the left, and I said to myself where!? There were signs outside for a church named Alcance. I thought to myself, well maybe Direction closed and Alcance took over. I figured the service might be in Spanish because of the name but I have been wanting to go to a Spanish church, so I parked. I walked in and the friendliest people in the world welcomed me into their safe space. They took my name, gave my kids name tags and promptly asked if I would need a translator. I said no, I speak Spanish. To my surprise, they informed me that Portuguese was spoken in this church. I changed my answer to yes, I will need a translator. I was laughing on the inside. I thought I had misinterpreted God’s message, but I was where I was and I was not going to offend these kind people, so my kids went off to kids church, in Portuguese, and I sat down in the last row of chairs anxiously.
God always has a plan. The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you. I knew I was safe, but I had no idea how much I was about to learn.
