what could and should be.

i am doing a great work and i cannot come down (nehemiah 6:3b, NLT)

you'll have to excuse me for writing posts back to back about nehemiah, but i can't get over him. he continues to amaze me... i don't think i've been drawn to a character from the bible quite like i have been with nehemiah. the Lord is constantly revealing truth to me as i read about this man's life.

absolutely fascinating...

nehemiah knew that he had been called to finish the wall; God's vision was his motivation in completing this task. from running with the calling, he grew tired (as you can imagine from building constantly), and as mentioned in my previous post, he gained many enemies... but those things were not going to distract him. in order for nehemiah to get the importort thing done, he also had to say "no" and give up some pretty good things. he had to sacrifice being liked by people, being safe at night, his family, and living comfortably. those are some pretty appealing things, but nehemiah walked away from them in order to fulfill God's promise.

he said, i am doing a great work and i cannot come down.

we have been called to do the same.

whatever vision God has placed on our hearts, we have to say, "i am doing a great work for the Father and i will not abandon it for anything else." we cannot allow good opportunities to distract us from a great vision from the Lord.

right now i am called to a vision the Father has layed on my heart; a city wide college ministry called grounded is where i stand firm. there are so many good things that tug at me daily, attempting to shift my focus. i've been called to at times to say "no" to hanging out with friends in order to pray over the direction this ministry is heading. i've been told to wait on returning to romania. i would love to be in a relationship, but i know that's not a place i'm supposed to be right now. what good things seem harmless could actually be detrimental in the furthering of a vision. until God's tells me i can do certain things or be involved with someone, i cannot let my own desires get in the way. these good things are just that, good... but they are not the vision i have been handed right now.

continuing on... i want to be involved in as many ministries and activities that i can be. i absolutely love helping and serving, but a line has to be drawn. if i don't, my focus will be shifted towards 80 things rather than the current most important thing; grounded. other things are not apart of God's vision for me right now. grounded is where my whole heart is. i cannot cheat the Father by adding things into my life that are only "good" right now.

how can we distinguish the difference between good opportunities and a great vision from God? well... good question. i guess i can only offer this advice... pray and be honest. nehemiah was so faithful in his calling. he prayed constantly and was honest about what he had to do in order to complete the mission. not only do i long to pray as nehemiah did, but i long to be as faithful to my vision as he was.

concerning romania, don't get me wrong... i still have a deep desire to return someday and i believe i will be called back in the future. whether it be for a month or a year... and yes, it would be awesome to go now, i know i have other things to do. i have so much growing to do before the Lord will allow me back. i am certain that everything i am doing right now is connected to romania in some way. how? no idea. i want my desire for romania to be constant. like grounded. the ministry is a constant desire. i can wait for romania... but grounded... no. that ministry is now. if i imagine not returning to romania, yeah it saddens me, but it's okay. with grounded though... if i think about not doing it... it burns. this vision is so heavy on me that it hurts to think about not doing it. THAT is how i know i've been handed an assignment; a great vision. until i have done as much as i am supposed to, i know it will continue to burn heavily in my heart.

i will not walk away from this vision until God says, "well done My good and faithful servant... come over here now."

as i embrace this vision, it embraces me. it holds me and i cannot distant myself from it. i imagine this is like a feeling nehemiah felt about completing the building of the wall. as hard as it can be, like nehemiah, i am handing over my time and any other enjoyable good opportunities to complete a great vision.

my focus... like nehemiah...

walking down the narrow path of what could and should be.

God's vision.