Finding God in My Stuff

I'm sitting here thinking, "Wow! Am I really here right now? Have I really spent the last year and a half preparing for this moment?" Our bags are packed, loaded on a U-Haul, and ready for our departure first thing tomorrow morning! Yipee! Our house has been emptied out... load after load has left our home going here, there, and everywhere! Anyone who has dared to step foot in my house these past few weeks has left carrying bag after bag. I had such a hard time deciding what to keep, what to give, and what to toss. I had so many possessions!
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In the past few weeks, I have sat in my room on more than one occasion, overwhelmed by the incredible desire to just HIDE! (If you saw my room in the state that is was, you would probably want to hide, too!!! Actually, let me help you out and post a picture!)

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Isaiah and Anna thought it was just the greatest thing. They're probably having so much fun in this picture because this was kept off limits most of the time!

Leave it to Isaiah to find a "drum" anywhere he goes. Coolers...they make great drums!

Yep! There it is... Packing Central! Formerly known as my room! As I just said, I would sit there, pondering the changes I was facing, and just want to hide. I thought about how easy it would be to just pile it all up all around me. Maybe no one would find me for a while.

I suddenly remembered a story from the Old Testament - 1 Samuel 10, to be exact. There came a time in Israel's history when the people asked God to give them a king. Saul was chosen to be this king, but when they went to find him and make him king, he was hiding! The Bible says he was actually hiding in "the stuff." (the bags and the belongings!) Was Saul was afraid of what God was calling him to? Perhaps. Perhaps he was afraid of being king, of ruling over the nation of Israel. WOW! Can you imagine?!! God had CHOSEN him, HAND-PICKED him to perform this task. All Saul needed to do was say "yes!" In what should have been a moment of celebration in Saul's life, he was hiding.

The Lord spoke to me very clearly in that moment as I sat in my room, looking at all my stuff, feeling overwhelmed, and wanting to hide. He said, "Don't hide, Dani! Seek Me, instead!" Wow. What a word. I don't have to be like Saul, hiding from the calling that God has given me. God is saying, "Go to Niger - tell the unreached about My love! Disciple new believers! Give as it has been given to you! Bless, as you have been blessed!" If I give into fear of the unknown, I will never live in the fullness of what God has for me. I need to take that leap of faith! I need to be willing to fall down, get up again, and learn from it! I need to trust that He'll help me. I need to SEEK HIM, not shrink and hide, when I'm overwhelmed with all "the stuff" that's going on in my life.

I'm so glad this blog is about seeking and finding an incredible God - One who cares for me and wants to be a Comforter and a Helper in my time of need. I'm finding God in my stuff, and that doesn't mean looking through my bags and finding a tiny God in there, like a genie in a bottle! No! The God of the Universe comes to my aid when I seek Him.

So - tomorrow we're off! We are SOOO excited!!! We leave our house at 8 a.m., drive to JFK airport, and fly out at 7:00 p.m. We will arrive in Niger Sunday morning at about 10:30 our time. It will be 3:30 in the afternoon there. We may have limited internet connection so please bear with us! We'll be in touch with updates as soon as we can. Thank you for your love, prayer, and support. I can't say it enough - we couldn't do this without you!!!

Be encouraged - seek God in whatever stuff you're facing! He'll find you there.

Love and Blessings,

Dani