Or how about the story of a guy building a boat and expecting to fit two of every living creature on it...and to have to deal with something called rain...what the heck is rain?..he didn't know!
Do you remember a guy named Gideon...hiding and scared because of the atrocities that his people's neighbors constantly heaped upon them...and how he ends up being a war Hero and leading his people to some crazy victories...
Or the time that a guy named Jonathan climbed up a cliff and defeated 20 guys at an enemies watch post with only his armor bearer by his side.
Hmmm...there is always the former prince of Egypt with a speech impediment leading a whole nation from bondage...(you should check out some of the other things he was a part of!) Should I go on? Okay...
How about a young lady being found pregnant that had never been with a man...(do you know the rest of the story?)
How about a guy getting out of the boat to walk on water...there is always the story of taking water and turning it into the choicest wine...Shall I continue?
Maybe one more...(and trust me...I'm leaving many behind) How about the time that God chose to step out of heaven because he loves us...only to die for us...
What do all of these have in common? A couple of things...1) They all happened. These weren't fairy tales of a heroic nature they were real people...in real moments stepping out and doing or being a part of what seemed utterly impossible. 2) Everyone one of them overcame their own concerns to step out anyways. Even Jesus...don't believe me...read what he was going through in the Garden of Gethsemane. 3) These accounts of History weren't presented for us as reading pleasure (even though they are amazing to read), they were put before us as a model.
I heard something the other day that has stuck with me and brought into question how I live and respond to what God is calling me to be a part of. God often puts the impossible on our heart...we often live out only what we see as possible.
We are a very pragmatic creature. Which definitely has it's place at times. Planning and forethought are gifts given by a creator of systems and design... We are also very predictable and fearful when it comes to living out the LIFE that God has called us to. We confine ourselves very quickly to what we can see right before us...and they're we live...
There was another story out of the same book that had much different results...You might remember it. That prince of Egypt...Moses...leads his people to a land that was described by it's awesomeness...It's a place you'd want to live!!! The problem...it's full of a huge amount of people...big and nasty and the type you wouldn't want to mess with. Spies are sent out to survey the land and when they come back with amazing fruits of the land and also stories of terror...huge fortified cities and giant people.
One man...named Caleb...assures them that they should go and take the land that the Lord had promised them. The rest of the people rebel. They can't see past the impossible...It's to hard...it doesn't make sense...we don't have what it takes...we don't have the resources!!! So the story goes, they end up avoiding the land and through the people's grumbling and fear, God (who wanted to destroy them) ends up sending them to the dessert to wander for forty years. Fun huh!
What life do you want to live? What do you want your story to be? How will you be defined? God has put greatness upon your heart, it will be your decision whether or not you live it out. My church community...let us pursue the inconceivable!
