JUMP!!!

Are you going to a foreign country Lisa? What? I was asked this question last night not understanding quite why. But it was then that I realized a friend of mine read my post on Facebook that I was getting out of my comfort zone in a big way. She thought God was sending me to a foreign country to do missions work. As far as I know I will be here....right where I am....but on a different kind of Mission’s trip. Sometimes God calls us to a place of such abandoning trust that it is as if we truly were going on a Missions trip. Sometimes God takes us on a Mission’s trip right where we are.

I picture this huge cliff in my mind....it’s like jumping off into beautiful blue water....with no life raft, but having the faith God will catch you...He will be that life raft and He will take you to new places you never dreamed. He will carry you to safe ground. But think about it.....how much faith would it take to really jump off? That’s a huge cliff now! Do I really have faith He really would catch me? Now that’s a Mission’s trip!

One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Not only will He catch you on your leap of faith.....He will answer you....He will show you amazing things....unsearchable things you don’t know! He will take you to a new place with Him!

I am realizing that this is even true for the prayers I am praying for those dear to me. Many of my precious friends are going through trials right now....heartbreaking trials.....things I can’t wrap my mind around. And yet at those deep times of “Really Lord?...why?” I get that indescribable peace that says.....JUMP! I AM HERE LISA! And so are the answers! What I have realized more than ever is that sometimes the answer to my hardest question is....that I may never know the answer...and I am learning to be ok with that. Because where He takes me is beyond any answer to any question. He has the answer book. He IS the answer book! So I can rest and know....He’s got it all figured out.

I had this conversation with my mom yesterday about those huge things in life that happen that we just don’t understand....you know, those times when you feel like God forgot your address? She looked at me as said “Lisa, I don’t understand so many things in my life, but what I do know is this......” And she began to sing in her sweet precious voice one of her favorite hymns:

Tho' shadows deepen, and my heart bleeds,
I will not question the way He leads;
This side of Heaven we know in part,
I will not question a broken heart.
We'll talk it over in the bye and bye
We'll talk it over, my Lord and I.
I'll ask the reasons - He'll tell me why,
When we talk it over in the bye and bye.

Tears were in her eyes as she sang. I began to listen to her sweet voice singing and it was as if Jesus was right there with her singing along. She had jumped off the cliff and was resting in His arms. Her journey had brought her to that cliff many times this year. She didn’t have answers, Jesus was all she needed. Her life has been a living testimony of that to me. She lives everyday in His arms.

So am I taking a Missions trip? Yep! Right over a big ol’ cliff! The things I don’t understand, the trials and hurdles that seem so insurmountable, all the questions....I leave behind. I trust the future and the answers to the one who has the big life raft waiting....His arms are big...and they are about ready to catch me! Wanna join me? Let’s go for a JUMP! It’s gonna be a life changer! Yahooo!