What do we KNOW about Noah building the ark?
“Build a large boat from cypress wood,” and then God gave him some dimensions.
“So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.” (Gen 6:22 NLT)
Now imagine you’re Noah. Which of the following sounds more exciting to you?
1. You live in the desert. You’ve never seen a boat, and probably have never visited a body of water. You have to grow the trees before you can build the boat, which is why it took 140 years. What a faith-building experience, right?
2. You live near a large body of water and you spent years watching the ships come and go. Maybe you even watched or apprenticed under ship builders.
These are both hypotheses I’ve heard in the past. One is an amazing faith walk, so that’s gotta be what happened right?
Perhaps. But maybe, just maybe, God gives us paths that aren’t actually that big a jump from our normal interests and strengths. And, most importantly, he can birth new passions in us.
My pastor talked about being afraid as a teen to fully submit to God’s will because he was worried he’d have to go to China, where he was sure he’d be martyred. Three years later, the Lord changed his heart and he felt like James Bond, smuggling Bibles into mainland China.
I, on the other hand, have always loved the idea of other countries, and I got to spend 2 years teaching music in Istanbul. Two years doing something I was trained to do, in a place I loved with the kindest people and the best food. Getting paid to do it.
Sometimes God does need to correct our thinking to use us in the ways he has planned. Sometimes it does feel like our use of the word “never” is a challenge for him to knock us down a few pegs.
But I think more often than not, he wants to use the passions, gifts, and training we have already.
Example: this blog. I’ve enjoyed writing for…pretty much forever. (just don’t ask to see the stories I wrote as a child. They all featured Strawberry Shortcake or Donald Duck. They were good if you need something to put you to sleep.) Letting God use the writing passion in order to speak to others is a natural step. It’s still scary and a step of faith because putting things “out there” that have been on my heart is vulnerable. But it feels good because I’m hearing from others that these topics resonate with them, too.
So if you’ve been hesitant to let God’s will be done in your life, no strings attached….don’t be. Don’t worry. He’ll use you in the way he made you, and he’ll add passions or interests where needed.
He is a GOOD father. That means he wants to see you thrive, while at the same time bring you closer to him and use you to bring others to him. But he wants to use YOU in the way he made you. He doesn’t need a million Billy Grahams or Mother Teresas. He needed both of them, and he needs you for the unique contribution you bring to the world.
So what do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts! charla@charmboxstudios.com
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