Made For This -- Restless
I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17
Please read "Restless" in Made For This (pages 41 - 45).
For those of you that don't know me, I'm a pastor's wife. I also serve as an administrator on the staff of the Christian school that my three teenage children (2 boys and a girl) attend. For the purposes of the story I am about to tell, 2 of my three teenagers don't much care for the careers of their parents OR for how those careers make people believe they should and should not act. They're just living, and fumbling, sometimes winning, a lot of times losing, and growing up the best they know how.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a pretty rough conversation with one of my children. In it, he confessed to being bored, with life, school, church, friends, home, school, church, etc. It was a heartbreaking conversation for me. He announced his age followed by the fact that he could live another 70 years, but he's already bored. In his own way, he was letting me know that he's not sure this life I've chosen is going to be enough for him.
Can I just insert here that I was NOT this kind of teenager. I just wasn't. I followed the rules, checked the boxes, got IN the boxes if needed, and generally loved to just do what people asked me to do. I celebrated if I could make myself and a whole lot of others look good in the process. God gave me two boys that don't live by those guidelines, and I've got to say realize the difficult beauty of that a little more every day.
My son and I had a loooonnnngggg conversation. I was acknowledging that he's restless for more. I confessed that I am too. And, I apologized to him for all the places where I've contributed to his boredom. Following Jesus was never meant to be boring. But, simplifying Christianity to following a bunch of rules is capital boring when we know we were made for more.
I'm not suggesting a full on rebellion which may be where we are headed with at least one of my boys (PS, I'll never turn down prayers for these warrior boys I'm mothering). But, I am asking that we look for the places where we are feeling restless. None of us needs a guilt trip. We get enough of that. I'm not recommending that we try harder, but what if it's time to act differently. Acts 2:17 sounds exciting. It seems like a million miles from boring. I want in on that action. As we move into the next section of our anything prayers, let's begin by asking God to open our minds to dream His dreams. Are we brave enough to ask for the adventure?
Respond, Read, & Reflect --
On pages 46 and 47, there are questions for you to consider. Take time to look at those questions. I'm joining you. I've loved this time of response in my journal. Then, take some time to look read Acts 2: 14-21. The New Testament was born in excitement. I think following Jesus was always meant to be an adventure.
God, as we move into week 2 of our study together, we've been asked to dream. I don't know what that word does to all the women, but I'm having trouble trying to dream again. Life gets in the way. So, I'm asking for Your help. Give us Your sight, Your visions, and Your dreams for us. We know You have plans for our lives, and we want to see enough to trust You and GO.
