When you think God is going to change things, but you don't know how

Sanctuary is embarking on a new adventure, and I have mixed feelings about it. Maybe you have been in that place where you know God is going to change things, but you don't know what he will end up doing. He wants to revamp the way you interact with your spouse. Or he wants to address the way you spend money.  Or he asks you to think again about the ways you spend your spare time. When God signals that it's time to change things up, we often have mixed emotions. We are excited because we sense God moving in our lives. We also wonder what the changes will mean. What will this require of me? Will I like what God has in mind for me? Am I afraid I will fail to be obedient to him? How will he transform me to be more like him along the way?

Sometimes I feel that way in my personal walk with God. Sometimes I feel that way as pastor of a church. It is true particularly in this season at Sanctuary. The congregation and I have had a year to get to know each other, and Sanctuary is now out of the metaphorical hospital room and is training to do whatever God wants us to do next. This is the season when we begin a process of discerning God's call on Sanctuary and planning how we might live it out. We will be a more focused church. We will be stretched to live out God's dreams for us. It's exciting! It's also somewhat scary. It surely means change, and change is hard -- even change for the better. Where this will all lead, I'm not sure. But no matter what, we want to walk with God. That is always the bottom line.

Whether we are leading a church or a family or our own personal lives, the fundamental process is much the same. Listen for the nudgings of God and act on them. God wants to lead us in new and better ways to live. May we be good followers.

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