Have You Ever Felt Like This?

When God asks you to do something new, is this how you feel? 

"Oh, I'm safe inside here....do I have to come out of my shell?"

"It's comfortable here, must I leave my current cozy life?"

"I'm not sure God, do you really want me to do that?"

I remember the first time God asked me to do something.  I heard his voice.  I heard it distinctly.  I remember exactly where I was.  I was probably ten years into being Christian.

I hesitated.  I pondered.  I considered. 

He asked me to enter a contest on a Christian radio station. There was a deadline...I had about a month before the contest would be over. I had plenty of time; it wasn't urgent. 

I considered it again.  I waited.  It sat on my heart.

I kept hearing the radio ad....I started considering it more.

Then God gave me the exact idea to use...he gave me the words!

Okay.  I considered it again.

The idea was original and sweet, only something God could come up with.

The station wanted to know how I would use $10,000 to bless someone. 

We were to submit our ideas to the radio station and if selected, we would then invite our friends to vote, and the winner with the most votes would be awarded the $10,000. 

Okay, if I were to do this, Lord, I would need to ask someone to film a video of me.  I would need to go to the Verizon store to have something added to my phone for taking a video. 

Hmmmm, I'm not sure.  I had never shared my faith in this way.  I would need to select a friend.  I thought of my friend, Cyndi.  We had never really talked much about my faith.  I would need to tell my daughter.  I had never really shared my faith much with her either, certainly not to the point of obeying God...that was going to be a big step. 

I would have to break out of my current cozy comfortable life. 

Time was ticking away.  I could feel the urgency.  It was time to take action.

Okay, I watched myself as I went to the Verizon store. Okay, I'm doing this! Yikes, I'm actually in motion toward obeying God! Gulp!

Being in motion caused lots of emotions.  It was just the two of us. Me and God.   Tangible.  Real.  Life changing.

"Okay, LORD, help me."

I called Cyndi and asked her to meet with me.  She came over. 

I told her about it and of course she was ready!  I handed her my phone.  She pushed the button. I started speaking, saying the words I had written down, but it wasn't coming across very well. It just didn't sound right. 

Right in front of Cyndi, I prayed out loud. "Okay God this is your idea, your plan, please help me with the words." And he did!! The next cut was perfect!

I sent it in to the radio station...a little late because I had waited so long.  The contest was coming to a close soon.

But...my idea was accepted and my video/audio was posted to the radio station website. My idea (our idea) was online! I had entered the contest!!! 

I was so excited. 

I had left my zone of comfort and God rewarded me. 

I started emailing all my friends to vote for me.  It was too late really for them to receive my email, consider my request and actually vote, but many did.

However, I had "hatched" out of my shell!

Momentous really.  A new phase.

Fast forward to today.  What do I know today about obeying God?  Well, it seems to me--the faster we obey, the greater the rewards. This blog, this website, this ministry, this coaching business, this book to be published, is all from him.  Directly from him.  It's still just the two of us.  And I just do what he says. 

Remember what Mary said to the servants at the wedding feast when they ran out of wine?  "Do whatever he tells you."

My friend, Cyndi, passed into the arms of Jesus two days ago.  I had recently reminded her of this story and many others over the course of the last twenty years. 

This post is to honor Cyndi, my faithful friend, who helped me break out of my shell.