God, Bob Marley, Adventure vs. Crisis, & Fire
So, I was chilling outside in our backyard last night. The weather was awesome, so when I got home from work I made a fire and cooked hot dogs for the girls and I. I kept it going so that I could head out there after the girls were in bed. As I settled in for over an hour of time with God, I played a little Bob Marley softly for some relaxation. (Yes I listened to Bob Marley while trying to have time alone with God) I leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes, and just calmed every part of my being. On my mind was my current situation where I’ve stepped away from my current ministry position at God’s direction. With 2 weeks left there, I still have no job lined up to step into.
A
LITTLE
STRESSFUL.
The song “Three Little Birds” came on at one point, with some of the lyrics being “Don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing is gonna be alright.” God’s really been working on me to view this time not as a CRISIS, but as an ADVENTURE! Quite honestly, the timing of those lyrics was so amazing, so right on that it made me wonder,
“Is God speaking to me through a Bob Marley song?”
That debate we will save for another post, but I can tell you as I listened to those lyrics over and over, I felt God using that moment to assure me of His goodness. I’ve encountered many verses in the Bible over the years concerning worry, and how we are not supposed to participate in it. I still do not know what God is going to do, or what we may encounter. All I know, is that last night while listening to a little Bob Marley, I began to feel God speaking and ministering to me.
There’s something about sitting around a campfire that just calms me, relaxes me, and allows me to be more sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I think maybe it helps me to shut out the normal things that weigh on my mind, heart, and time. It’s a chance to just sit and enjoy God’s creation (a little music never hurt).
After my little God moment while enjoying some Bob, some distinctive thoughts came to me regarding Adventure vs. Crisis. Many times, the circumstances between these two are/can be the same. In my own experience, I’ve found the main difference to be the attitude with which I faced them. I’ve done enough adventurous things now to know that while inevitably there are always difficult patches, scary moments, danger, etc., my attitude going into it is one of excitement and anticipation for the good things that will happen. When I view situations as a crisis, my attitude is ALWAYS one of fear and worry. In other words, adventure usually creates positive expectations and crisis usually invokes negative expectations.
Running Comrades in South Africa was an amazing adventure! Why? Simply because of my attitude towards it. Plenty could have gone wrong, and there’s always plenty to be scared of when running a 56 mile race halfway around the world. I encountered more hard times that I had expected, but in the end I endured because of a positive attitude along the way. I think the same is true in life. Granted, many times life’s ramifications are more serious than those of a race, but nonetheless I think this principle holds true. God does not want us to worry. Why? Because nothing positive happens when we worry. Usually all that happens is we get stressed, get short with people, and begin to doubt the goodness and faithfulness of God.
I’m tired of worrying. I’m tired of being stressed. I’m tired of doubting God. My new goal? To develop a more prevalent outlook of every situation in life as an adventure to be lived with God. I want to trust God wholeheartedly. I want to have an excited expectation of things to come! I want to live in adventure!