Rob and I were recently out with a group of friends, and I was so enjoying the chance to visit and catch up on life. Our lives have shifted so dramatically this year with our move to England, and the birth of our second child, and I relish rare opportunities to be rejuvenated by fellowship with people we love.
Have you ever been tempted, when you are with people you trust, to let your guard down and speak negatively of things in your life? I have! There have been so many things to be thankful for in this year, but there have also been so many challenges in adjusting to the changes—If I am not careful, I can spend more time reflecting on the latter than the former.
England has so many idiosyncrasies with which I am just not familiar. From the new tastes, the lack of dryers and air-conditioning, my confusions with the traffic laws, and my longing for a closet with room enough to fit both my shoes and my clothes—shallow adjustments or not, it was a lot for me to take in all at once! As we visited with our friends, without even realizing it, my comments like this about where we live drifted over into something more in line with complaining than I care to admit. Someone in the group stopped me in my tracks when they looked at me and asked “Are you complaining about the place God has called you?” Oomph. Got me. They were right.
One of my favorite messages I’ve ever heard is called “A Place Called There” by Kenneth Hagin. In it, he relays the story in First Kings 17:2-4 where God is giving instruction to the prophet Elijah. God gave him a direction to go, and in verse 4, says “I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
There.
“There” is the place God has told you to be. It’s the place you pray to be, the place where your destiny is fulfilled, and the place where your calling is accomplished. It is the place where you are a blessing to the world and the place where God has provided for you to do so. This place looks different at different times for every person. Sometimes “there” is easy, and sometimes it is challenging. (Just ask the Apostle Paul!) But EVERY time, “there” is the place you are absolutely without-a-doubt supposed to be.
Did you know that you can actually be smack dab in the middle of God’s will for your life and still find something to complain about? It is crazy, but it’s true! Philippians 2:14-16 says “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
We read this and never think it could actually apply to God’s perfect will for our lives. We never think of this scripture as applying to the things for which we are fervently praying. We sometimes mistakenly think that when we get “there”, there will be nothing to complain about right? Um, nope—I think that place is called Heaven!
Have you heard the phrase “Remember the days you prayed for the things you have now”? If you haven’t bookmarked that one, you should. I have it mentally plastered up on the doorway of my mind. Because my home is filled with priceless treasures that I have worn out my knees praying for in years past. WORN. OUT. The years I prayed for my husband. The years I prayed for my children. The tears I cried while waiting for all of them. The years I prayed about wanting to fulfill God’s plan for my life and the prayers I prayed even as a little girl to be a missionary.
I am going to be intentional today about remembering. Remembering from where God has brought me. Remembering what He has given me. Remembering that where I am right now is my “there”. I hope you can also take some time to remember your “there” today as well, and know that in this place, God will give you everything we need—strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow. Because Great is His faithfulness, Lord unto me.
Julia! Thank you so much. Such wise words. Such a time as this. Thank you!!
Good and timely word Julia. Glad you are writing again.
Thank you for this beautiful perspective of “there”…I feel as if the Lord is speaking to me personally through this article. I have experienced many devastating and traumatic events that sent me down an immensely dark road. I suffered in silence with depression, survivors guilt and PTSD for almost an entire decade. Praise be to God that I have begun to actually heal instead of just forget or ignore. But the enemy is always quick to gleefully remind me of all of those trials, setbacks, failures, mistakes, hindering’s and misfortunes that I have faced in my life. I also am a writer and have been wanting to start my own blog ever since being saved 2 years ago but I am my own worst critic and doubt my efficacy. And the purpose that the Lord has placed so heavily in my heart is to help the hurting, lost, confused, suffering and hopeless bc that used to be me. Bc of the wide range and variances in my hardships and distress, I know I would be able to connect with and understand what many of them are going through. To point them to the pierced helping hand that’s reaching out to rescue them…He just hasn’t yet revealed in which way I can help or how he wants me to help. I’ve been in a season of waiting for a considerable period in which the fear and doubt cause me to question this purpose bc of the location of my “there”. Reading your article has been a divinely reminder that my “there” is where I am supposed to be…so thank you!
Elise, I am so so blessed by your comments and so thankful that this article ministered to you. Blessings and favor as you walk out the dreams in your heart, and minister to the people around you!