I hate being sick! For the past week (although it feels much longer), I’ve been sick . Which led to hours laying on the couch, taking naps and trying various remedies to feel more like normal. When I get sick there are a couple of things that tend to happen. While this first may seem obvious to some, it is not always the case for me. It means stopping. Which based on experience tells me that there is a fair chance God is trying to get my attention. This may not be how He works with you, but it’s something I’m beginning to understand He uses in my life when I’m not listening. Regardless, it’s happened enough for me to become hyper aware of what God might be trying to tell me. The other thing is that I tend to have crazy dreams. I know this one is far less spiritual! Some people always remember their dreams, for me it’s a rarity. So when it happens, it’s kind of a big deal, and I find myself trying to figure out where it came from.  

Sharing random facts that you could care less about is probably not a great way to start a blog, especially when I haven’t written for a while! Stick with me and hopefully these random thoughts will make a bit more sense. 

Let’s start with the dream – My family and I were at Chick-fil-a to pick up some pizzas that we were supposed to deliver. Not sure where the pizzas were going or why we were getting them at a chicken establishment, but there we all were just standing at Chick-fil-a waiting for our pizzas. And that is all I remember! I know, it’s kind of disappointing. 

The next day I was reading in Genesis 22, when God tells Abraham to take Isaac and offer him as a sacrifice. The amazing thing is that Abraham simply did exactly what God told him to do. There is no way this made sense to him, he had to have a million questions, but He trusted God and simply obeyed. We all know what happened in the story prior to Abraham sacrificing his son – God provided a ram stuck in a nearby bush for the needed sacrifice. God was testing Abraham and his level of faith. That got me thinking about picking up pizzas from chick-fil-a, and how God’s instructions often don’t make sense. Our job is simply to trust and obey. The problem, at least for me, is that I often want at least some of my questions answered prior to my obedience. 

Asking God questions is not wrong. However, when we begin to question versus follow and obey, we open the door for lies and distractions to sneak in and confuse us even more. The consequences of that choice can mean a couple of things, the biggest being we take our focus and attention away from God. And He is the One who sent us to Chick-fil-a to pick up pizzas in the first place! That’s a big mistake, because God always has a purpose in His asking. The second thing that happens is those lies begin to come in waves. Lies like – why are you so stupid, any normal person would know you can’t get pizza from a chicken place. Or why would God even talk to you, you’re nobody. What are people gonna think? Are you even strong enough or smart enough to handle this, you messed up that thing last week. Or you are worthless. All lies, all meant to move our focus from God and onto ourselves. All distracting us from our God given mission. 

As the lies multiply, it’s easy to become even more distracted because you are now busy trying to combat and counteract the lies. You started with one job- going to pick up pizzas, now you are doing twelve other things trying to make sure you’re on the right track. We can easily get overwhelmed and at some point completely forget what God called you to, which sadly results in us pulling away from God and trying to figure out how we even got here. 

Using a crazy dream as an example for how hard it is to obey God may not resonate with everyone, but for me, at least it was a good reminder that I have been created with purpose and sometimes God is gonna ask me to do stuff that doesn’t make sense. My job is simply to trust and believe like Abraham did that God will provide. Think of the impact this trip had, not only Abraham and Isaac, the servants that traveled with them, but also in their family for generations! This one test of faith is still having an impact on us today as we read and retell the story. 

Personally, I’ve been struggling with focus lately. I’ve been questioning what I know God has called to me because things aren’t going exactly how I think they should. Sometimes it feels like I’m fighting a losing battle. But God stopped me, got my attention and even went so far as to have a friend remind me “our faithfulness and consistency are a shadow of God’s character. And sometimes all we can do is follow Him and cast His shadow to others.”

God’s got his reasons, it can be scary and confusing – but it’s ok to trust Him. So if God calls you to go pick up some pizzas from chick-fil-a, just do it because He will provide! Matthew 6:25-34