Monday, March 3, 2008

Even Starbucks Isn't Far Enough...

Even Starbucks Isn’t Far Enough...

I know this is totally showing my age, but do you remember that song by the Flock of Seagulls called I Run?  It is about a guy running from a girl.  That is not what tonight's blog is about.  But as I sit here with a blank screen in front of me, I keep hearing the chorus of that song--I Ran, going through my head over and over again.  (Though it could be worse--it could be the song I heard as I walked into Sunday School this morning at Moes!)  So anyhow, God and I are in the middle of a smack down.  I know, even now as I struggle, who is going to win.  (SPOILER ALERT:  It isn't going to be me!)  But yet here I am running from Him because I don't like what I know what He is saying to me.  Today in church, my heart and mind were torn into a million little pieces.  I have been diligently praying for things to fall into place.  I want my life in my neat little image of what life should be.  If my life were a TV show, I would want it to be called "Jenny Knows Best."  Oi--I digress.  
After being battered and smacked down again and again in church, I skipped Bible Study (I don't call it Sunday School any more because Benita makes fun of me!).  I just kept thinking "I can't handle this any more.  I have to get away from God."  So I went to Starbucks.  Let's face it--what can't a latte fix?  I even got my sister to go with me so that I wouldn't be alone.  We had some great sisterly bonding time, but it was NOT where God intended for me to be this morning.  And since I ran from Him, He made sure I ran smack dab into Him.  At Starbucks.  With my non-fat Honey Latte.  Michele kept asking these really tough questions--questions I didn't have the answer to.  She kept making observations that I am scared of.  She made me think.  She made me see how selfish I am being.  Thanks, God.  
The Honey Latte was delicious, by the way.  I highly recommend it.  
So anyhow, back to the whole running away business.  I don't even think I realized I had done that until I was speaking to Derek later on today on the phone, and he asked the right question and out came the answer.  And I didn't like the answer.  But it was stark, honest and raw.  I was running away from the one thing that can take care of my concerns and issues.  Why?  
Why?
Why?
Why?
I don't know.  You would think that by this point in my life that I would learn from my mistakes.  Whatever.  I am still the 6 year old that accepted Jesus into her life and heart.  I don't think I will ever get past that.  I think I have phases of growth where the obvious childishness of my ways isn't so obvious, but let's face it--I am still sitting at the kitchen table in the "Cold House" in Pusan, Korea, on Easter Sunday, 1982.  
You see, I want to move forward in my life.  I know where I want to go, but for some reason, God isn't cooperating.  I know.  What is going on?  In church today,Les gave an amazing sermon.  Wow.  It broke me into a million little different pieces.  Because it was an arrow aiming straight to my heart.  It was painful.  It was cathartic (until I decided to run).  It could be life changing.  If I would take off my costume make up and step out of the WWF ring that I feel like I am in.  
I realized today, that after years of praying for what I wanted--which in this case is to get married and have beautiful children, that God hasn't had that in my Plan.  (Yes--that is Plan with a capital P.)  But here is the catch--you see, I have self righteously said "I am doing what God is asking, and He is just not blessing me.  He has forgotten me."  What a load of tripe.  You see, today was about wisdom.  How we all have seasons in our life and we have to know which season we are in, and know that God looks at our past choices and our current circumstance, and our FUTURE circumstance.  I can't seem to see past the end of my nose, much less my past, present and future.  
Anyhow, I realized something--that my prayers--as sincere as they have been, haven't fitted into my circumstances of the "here and now," into this season of my life.  I need to change my prayer to asking God to be the guardian of my heart--since I am obviously not doing that very well.  I am praying that God is answering my desire for a family with "Grow, Jenny!" rather than "No, Jenny."
So, it all goes back to 2 questions:  "Why?" and "If Starbucks isn't far enough, then what is?"

1 comment:

Sassiekiwi said...

Oh my goodness Jenny ... we are on parallel tracks! Not touting my blog again ... BUT ... God spoke to me in cambodia - read this! It's for you as well as me I think!

http://carpentershand.blogspot.com/2008/04/come-away-with-me.html