What's The Next Move?

by Michele Boy | February 16, 2023

Watching the news can be terrifying. Locally, there was an awful car wreck. Nationally, a train derailment causing hazardous chemicals to flow into rivers and release toxins in the air that could affect a large part of the US.
Shootings, suicides, overdoses, and war. The world can be a terrifying place. What do you hold onto? Where does your hope come from? If you think it’s all over and what’s the point, maybe you are missing the bigger picture.
 Maybe in tragedies we come together. We lean on each other. We can teach, love, and care for the hurting. 
If I am still breathing, I have a purpose. Right now that is raising my daughter, helping her to make good choices, showing her the consequences of our actions. And helping her find peace through leaning on God.
 But all the talk in the world doesn’t compare to truly learning these lessons herself. As you let your children grow, we have to let go a little more each time. That’s so hard watching them make mistakes. But it is the only way we learn. 
 There was a student and family get together at Sam’s Pond on Monday to help them grieve. They played music, cried and hugged each other.  I struggled trying to go forward from this death. Finally, I turned to my bible. I read the story of Simon Peter and Cornelius. I read where Peter heard a message from God and then questioned Him because it didn’t align with what he knew to be biblically correct.  But God told him to go and he did. And he directed others to go and to wait for his message. 
It was a great reminder to me that God is living. God is not just in the past, just in a culture. God is alive. 
How quickly I can forget. I lose hope or focus and I stop leaning on His word. 
In Acts 10:30, Cornelius replied, “Four days ago I was praying in my house about the same time...Suddenly, a man in dazzling clothes was standing in front of me. 31 He told me, “Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your gifts to the poor have been noticed by God!“
  How many of us forget that God still performs miracles? How many of us lose our faith in the day to day? 
I certainly lose faith in tragedies. Remembering that even though I don’t understand one bit of it, God is a big God. He has a plan. And we are all part of that plan. 
 He is living. He is moving. Because of Cornelius’ prayer and his giving, God could use him!
That reminds me of bread. No, I have no idea where that came from. 
But the ingredients must sit and have time to rise. Then it is kneaded. As bread is baking, the ingredients mixed together with heat smell delicious. If you let it bake the proper amount of time, which I am terrible at, the product is perfect. And it tastes delicious. 
But what if the bread sits, what if it doesn’t serve anyone? It grows stale and moldy. 
Maybe we are like bread. Maybe we have to be kneaded, and freshened. Maybe we need to be used at the right time. 
Most of all maybe we need to be open and excited and ready for His next move.
 I am guilty of seeing tragedy and feeling helpless and lost and frustrated.
But maybe God is saying focus on Me. I am going to do great things. And I need you to listen, to hear me, to be a part of it, and be ready! 
 At my daughter’s basketball game a couple weeks ago, she stood on the floor with her arms folded. 
She wasn’t ready to help the team. We talked about it and last week she did well. She wasn’t perfect but she was all in. Are we? Are we ready when God calls us to act? 
The world needs us. Are your arms open? Is your heart open? Is your focus on Him? 
 Curtis Mayfield sang, “So people get ready
There’s a train a-comin’
You don’t need no baggage
You just get on board
All you need is faith
To hear the diesels humming
Don’t need no ticket
You just thank the Lord.”
 May we take a step towards faith today. Ask God into your heart. Be ready. We are needed. You are needed. Arms open wide ready to come off the bench to help God’s team.