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Leaning Into All The God Has For me

Leaning into all that God has for me

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Something that God has put on my heart over the last year or two is that He has so much for us, much of which, we never actualize. Most of it, I can’t see and don’t fully understand. But, the realization that there may be more “untapped” blessings, opportunities and expressions of God that I haven’t experienced yet, has begun a journey of leaning into all that God has for me.

Getting started: Facing fears.
When it comes to God, I would venture to say that there is far more unknown than known. Humans have a hard time with change, and with letting go of control. We become fearful and start to wonder if we’ll be safe, accepted, loved, or if the changes and relinquished “control” (whatever control we delusional think we have) will work in our favor.

But God is both knowable — He invites us to uncover His mysteries and reveals Himself in all of creation [Rom 1:20] — and yet unfathomable. There are never-ending expanses of His greatness, glory, creativity and passion. His love is unending and His wisdom incomprehensible. At best, those who study God their whole lives can only claim to say, “I know God, but I am only just getting started.”

So in the face of the unknown, it is right to feel apprehension. Yet, to move towards growth, it looks like letting go of our felt-need of having all the answers or being comfortable with the outcome. As I begin my journey of leaning into all the God has for me, it looks like engaging in areas that aren’t already “normal” in my life.

For me, that looks like:

And that’s just for starters.

Leaning into what God has for me also looks like exercising simplicity, contentedness, joy, rest, social justice, fellowship, worship…

I’m just touching the surface. God has so much in store for me… and you!… that I’m just starting to understand that one of the most painful and disobedient things I can do is to not lean into him. If God has more in store for me — healings, knowledge, freedom, abundance, deeper intimacy with Himself — then why wouldn’t I lean into all that He has for me?!

How are you learning into all that God has for you? Let me know in the comments below.

Everything Belongs Richard Rohr Featured Image

Everything Belongs – A Review

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Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr
Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr
Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr is more difficult to sum up than books I typically read. Like most things that are right, but irritating, this book didn’t come boxed up in “3 steps to solve your problems” — a convenience that, while we knock it as a cliché, we all secretly appreciate — instead, it meandered in the way that would undermine the problem-solving, action-oriented, “small brain” person like myself. This is one of the reasons I loved it.

In a typical mystic style, Everything Belongs: the gift of contemplative prayer led me down a meandering path, exploring the edges of my comfort; all the while knowing this was for my greater good. Making statements like “God is to be found in all things”, referring to “levels of consciousness” or citing Mohammad and Ghandi; these pushed me out of my comfort zone, describing concepts primarily familiar in religions foreign to me. Yet, over and over, Rohr comes back to the center. He returns to the cross and the Christ crucified. As I start wondering, “where is he leading me?” I’m returned to absolute surrender to Jesus; a place equally discomforting, but central to my faith.

While I don’t know much of Fr. Rohr, a priest, author and speaker who runs the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, I believe he is exploring and unveiling a level of awareness that our Western heritage has not pointed it’s light on, perhaps since it’s inception.

Rohr explores the gift of contemplative prayer, highlighting the beauty of simply being and allowing room for dichotomies. For example, whereas the western church in particular prefers to button things up or present difficult topics like death, pain and loss in the cheeriest perspective (if acknowledged at all), the gift of contemplative prayer allows us to sit with the grief and all the while experience the nurturing peace of God. So God is not separate from these things, but present in them. Try that on for size — it’s easier said than done.

The book doesn’t try to incite a revolutionary war against western culture. In fact, in the opposite sentiment entirely, it’s actually trying to unify both western and eastern thinking, seeing the beauty and mutual dependency in both.

If I were to summarize what I received from the book, I would say this: Learn the art of simply being. Christ-centered contemplative self-knowledge only points to a greater revelation of God. Our identity is transformed when we sit with Him and — through surrendered humility — let go of our ego, allowing us to love fully, as Christ loved us. A Christ-centered identity frees us from the insatiable need to do more, be more and put everything into tidy little boxes we can wrap our minds around. An “Everything Belongs” mentality says “here I am Lord, your servant is listening.”

Thank you, Mr. Rohr, for the years of heart work and soul care needed to arrive at some of the revelations shared in this book. Your effort is helping a Type-3 Achiever like me become more like Jesus.

Simply Resting in God’s Plan Salvation Plan

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Having some deep, theological thoughts this morning… probably a little too much for so little sleep.

I was just wrestling with why God doesn’t simply change everyone’s hearts to turn towards him. I processed through this at the speed of an old desktop computer, chugging and grinding through the possibilities (again, it was early).

Then God seemed to calm my mind and heart and remind me that “He is in control” and that He desires all to come to know Him freely, not out of robotic, ritualistic, coerced religion. Something about this just clicked and I rested in the thought that God knows our hearts and wants each of us to come to Him. He is so patiently waiting for us.

So this morning, I lift up neighbors in the 10, that their hearts would be yielded to God and that nothing would hold them back. I worship God for His almighty faithfulness and wisdom that is so far beyond my understanding (even at a reasonable hour). The “Jesus Culture” Pandora radio station saturates the background of this post and my heart is re-postured to the Lord in submission and awe of His glorious power, plan and untainted, unending fervor for drawing every heart to Himself. www.wearemission.com/pray