Comfy Old Jeep

Today I was pondering the thought of an "open book" as we walk through this process of moving for the sake of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's not an easy thing to lay yourself wide open sharing the strugglesof daily life, however it's awesome to see how God can and will provide opportunities for His name to be glorified in the midst of our lives.

I was sharing a story with my sister yesterday of an example of how difficult change is but how struggling through it can reap personal growth and excitment.  A few months ago in the midst of our conversations about moving, the transmission went out in my van. It took a few weeks for the van to be repaired so during those weeks I drove Billy's Jeep.

On the outide the Jeep appears to be functional and efficient. It cleans up well and it doesnt have any dents, rust or major damage, however, the inside is another story.  Every button in the jeep does something it shouldn't, the ignition switch is broken but it works when you yank it a certain way, the air is tricky you may get hot,cold or no air, the window doesn't roll down on one side, and not to mention you may get a little wet if it rains because the sunroof leaks.  In those few weeks of driving the beat up old Jeep I settled in and got used to all the hangups.  I actually started to enjoy driving it.

Finally,  Billy suprised me by pulling my nice, clean, repaired van into the driveway, Shortly after he got home I had to run a quick errand and I didn't jump into the van but the Jeep!  As I drove to the store being comfortable in what may not be the best option,  it occured to me that God has a plan and perhaps, I had struggled with change and being "comfortable."  Had I allowed my own comfort level to cause me to miss out on something better? It takes faith to do something that you can't predict or plan for.  There are a lot of unknowns and even unforseen outcomes. How many times do we let our comfort level interfere with how we grow by preventing us from being vulnerable to the unknown?

Would we rather settle for less than what God has to offer because we are comfortable where we are?  Or are we even like that Jeep in the fact that on the outside we look pretty good but on the inside we are disorganized, discontent and dissatisfied?  A personal relationship with the one who Created us is the only way we can get out of our comfort zone with the assurance that the unknown and the future is far more than we can even imagine.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11