I have found that even in the mission field on the other side of the globe, it’s easy to fall into a routine. Breakfast at 7:30, work at 8, lunch at 1, finish work at 5, you know the drill. It’s especially hard back in the states where we are constantly on a schedule, constantly worried about what comes next. We have a plan and a method for how we go about our lives every day. But the thing is, that’s not how Jesus lived.
Jesus lived in complete abandonment of His own desires and in complete commitment to His Father’s. In John 5 He says, “the Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” Jesus didn’t live on a schedule, He wasn’t bound by a routine. He didn’t use the same method to teach or to heal over and over. He didn’t have a step by step plan of where He was going to minister each week. The only plan He had was walking in complete intimacy with the Father.
God wants to tear up our schedules, ruin our habits, and break our routines. Why? Simply put: because schedules are monotonous and routines are boring. We don’t serve a boring God. We serve a wild, adventurous God. I believe God has an adventure ready for us to embark on every day. An adventure that may bring us and those around us closer to Him. But how do we find our adventure? Is God just going to tap us on the shoulder and tell us what it is? Well, kind of. “The Bible says that God’s Word is a lamp to our feet, not a floodlight beaming to our destination. So, armed with the confidence that there’s a decent chance and an interesting possibility that my impulse might be from God, I start investigating.” (Steven Furtick, Sun Stand Still) If there’s even a minuscule twinge in your spirit that God wants you to do something, pursue it. Don’t hesitate. Put on a willing and adventurous heart. What do you think would have happened if Peter and Andrew or any of the other disciples had hesitated when Jesus called them? What would have happened if they said, “Well let me finish what I’m doing right now Jesus, let me put away my boat and all the fish I’ve caught today, let me finish my routine.” You see, Peter and Andrew could have missed out on God’s adventure for them. If they had hesitated and continued on with their routine, they would have continued on with their monotonous life as fishermen, which isn’t a terrible life by any means, but think of all they would have missed out on.
I don’t want to miss out on a single thing God has for me. I want to fully experience every adventure He gives me. I want to say yes to that twinge of direction from God, that impulse of the Spirit. Even if it’s seemingly small things like sitting down and trying to strike up an Albania/ English hybrid conversation with the night guard, getting up in the middle of the night to pray for the girls room next door that’s been dealing with spiritual warfare, or just standing in the rain and marveling at God’s power and beauty showcased in a storm. God can work through us in those small things, and if we are faithful with little, we will be trusted with much (Luke 16).
Say yes to the little tasks. Put on a willing and adventurous heart, and don’t be baffled when He starts sending you on bigger adventures. Don’t be afraid to step out into the unknown, regardless of how sure you are it’s God’s will or not. Walk hand in hand with God, as Jesus did, completely open to whatever God asks you to do at any point in time. Let God interrupt your day. Let Him break your routine.
God bless!
Seth P
