2.5 and Neon Sign-er, I mean Piece of Notebook Paper

Good SPRING afternoon everyone! Yes, today for us Minnesotans, we get the absolute joy of experiencing a spring day! It is 65 degrees and the weather could not be more lovely. I actually started to get a bit warm in my jeans and chiffon top today-which made me happy:) I love spring! It is a time for new life and to see everyone come out of their homes to be part of the world. It is a time for beautiful smells to dance across the air and it is a time for the hope that winter has past (knock on wood) and summer is about to come. I love Summer too-but I am excited that Spring has come and Winter is behind us. So, since my last post, much has happened in my life. Life feels like Spring these days and my past season of life's Winter is becoming a shadow. I was talking to my best friend this past Sunday as I was hunkered down in a coffee shop, looking over some notes for a leadership opportunity, and while I was talking to him, both him and I started to reflect on where my life journey has taken me since this past Jan/Feb. I mentioned to him that lately, I have this new hope welling up inside of me-a hope for new beginnings. That while this past season of life has been heart wrenching and difficult (sometimes so difficult,that the desire to even want to get out of bed and live most days was a whopping 0), I would not have changed the pain, tears and sleepless nights for anything. You see, even though we experience pain, loss and discouragement sometime in life, we all have the opportunity to live with the hope that God (YHWH) will work out all of our situation for the good IF we but TRUST in Him to do such! (Romans 8:28 paraphrased). Back in Jan/Feb, hope and trust in God to bring about this good, including family and close friends, were the only things in this life that made me want to keep pressing forward. It would have been super easy to lose my faith and get mad at God for allowing this into my life, but honestly, I can't imagine going through what I went through without Jesus who is everything. Looking at where I am today and the strength and perspective I have gained from that dark, lonely and painful time, I am grateful for that bitter winter season of life...because now, I am enjoying this new beginning God has brought to me, this Spring of life, if you will. So, today I have a story of this how God has brought about new beginnings. I want to share with all of you about God's faithfulness to bring about His good in the most perfect of time. That sometimes, His perfect time is in the season of pruning and pain, and it is sometimes here that God tends to really REALLY show up in our lives. Here's the story: One afternoon, after I had just finished indoor rock-climbing and doing some hiking in the "not so warm" weather, I found myself siting in a restaurant about to enjoy a cheeseburger. This day wasn't anything out of the ordinary. As I was waiting for my food to come, I began to ponder where God had me at that moment in life. I have no complaints. I have been blessed with an incredible job during this season of healing and transition and couldn't be more grateful, but evenso, there has been present this urge to seek for more. So, I set my head back on the booth's backing and looked up at the ceiling and asked, "God what do you want me to do? I'll do anything you tell me...ya just gotta tell me what to do." A neon sign is something I've always hoped for but rarely have encountered. Odd, I know. Anyways, a couple mins. later, I reached my hands into my coat pockets to rest them. As I did this, I noticed that there was a piece of paper in my left jacket pocket. I took my left hand out of my pocket as I clutched to the white notebook paper. Random. 1. I was surprised that there was a piece of paper in this jacket pocket because 2. I couldn't remember the last time I had even worn this jacket-it was a random choice for the day. So, I began to unfold this mystery piece of paper from my jacket pocket. Completely unfolded, I found in the center of this paper the words, "westwoodcc.org." Odd. I didn't recognize the handwriting or the name of this place whatsoever. So, my curiosity grew. I got out my phone and typed in the web addy. Eventually, a church named Westwood and her welcome page popped up on my phone's screen. I did some digging around the website and saw that there was a section for employment. I decided to check it out and see what opportunities Westwood was offering. Now, I need to add here that I have been wanting/looking for jobs in ministry for quite sometime now, but nothing has really peaked my interest besides another position I had interviewed with this past Feb. But, let me tell you, the job opportunity that was posted on Westwood's site was right up my ally! Geee!!! So I applied and waited to hear back. Now, people....remember, that just two mins prior to finding this piece of paper in this random jacket that I hadn't worn in I do not know HOW many months, I asked God what he wanted me to do. Crazy? Maybe. Neon Sign=piece of paper. Possibly. But in all honesty, I know that God's hand has been behind this the entire time and it is exciting to see Him at work. Easter weekend came and went and then Monday, when I was driving back from Ia, I got a call from a gal who works at the church. Her and I chatted for 10 mins about the position I applied for. After talking about this opportunity, she then directed the conversation towards a job opportunity within the church that had not even been posted yet to the website. Whoa. She said that after hearing my heart and looking at my resume, that she would be happy to get me connected up with the guy in charge of finding the person for the Associate of Young Adult Ministry. I told her I was in. Since then, I have been having conversations with church members and the man who would be my supervisor for a few weeks now. And I would like to announce that God has blessed me to be encountering interview 2.5:) Ha-I say 2.5 because the final interview (interview #3), can't commence until the head pastor is back in the country (God is always having me work on this patience thing isn't he!). But nonetheless, all of us part of this process are moving forward and I will be meeting with the Executive Pastor. All this to say folks: GOD IS FAITHFUL! He gives you 2.5 Interviews when you had no idea a couple months ago that Interview 2.5 for job X even existed! But truly, if we "ask and seek " God earnestly without doubt with all of our hearts, mind and strength, He will answer. While His answer to your asking may not come 2 mins after you pray like it did for me (but honestly, I have been praying for years about something like this to find me), he WILL answer in his PERFECT time. And had I not been at a place where had lost much and therefore had empty hands-, thereby being in a position where all I could do is receive, I might not have been ready for what God might be leading me to do. So, what are you holding onto that might be keeping you from receiving God's best or His next adventure for you? While it is most definitely frightening and might bring about much heartache, loss, etc by letting go of what you are clenching to, know that there is a God who WILL give you more than you could EVER imagine attaining for yourself out of your own strength. Let it go. Give up the control of finding that special someone (who by the way people cannot be the source of your happiness), owning a house, car, that glamorous job, etc (that by the way will never and cannot be the source of your happiness). Instead, allow your hands to be completely empty. Then, once you have nothing, go to the One who has EVERYTHING that is GOOD. Love, joy, peace, patience, direction, focus, purpose, fulfillment...things that this world DO NOT AND CANNOT HOLD A CANDLE TO! Go to Him and He will fill. As the apostle Paul wrote, "Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." (Phil 3:8). For it is when we have nothing and we seek Him, it is only then that we will find that we truly have it all...because He is everything. So what are you holding onto that is less than the greatness that is found only in Him?