Faith Stories: Where God Wants Me to Be
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and I will answer you. You will search for me and find me, when you search for me with all of your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-Â13
Almost every day I would pass by St. John’s UMC. I could be on my way to work, shopping, or running errands. Each time I passed by, I would hear the voice of God saying to me, “Here is where I want you to be.” My reply was, “One day, Lord, I will visit but I can’t leave my church. I have so much to do there. I sing in the choir (as if they really need me). I’m the Children’s Coordinator, I teach Sunday School (ok, so what if Devin is the only child who shows up every Sunday) and I direct the youth choir (ok, ok a trio but they sound really good).” This went on for over a year! God telling me where I’m supposed to be and me giving excuses for my disobedience.
God gives us free will, and that’s good. When God tells us to do something and we disobey him, he won’t force us to do it. Instead, we experience the Jonah syndrome. God will allow us to be swallowed by a BIG FISH until we decide to obey his will. That’s what happened to me!
Every time I went to church it was a struggle. I didn’t want to go. (That was so out of character for me!) I couldn’t understand why I was feeling this way. It took Jonah three days to come to his senses. It took me a year to come to mine and thank God I did! When I finally decided to visit St. John’s, the peace and joy that I had been missing for over a year returned.
I know I’m where God wants me to be. Praise God!
Darlene Dickson