God Story--- The Fork in the Road

 Several years ago, God called me to be obedient about a major life change.

 I stood at a fork in the road about this HUGE life decision.

You know the one where your forced to choose 

in order to move 

EVEN. ONE. MORE. STEP. AHEAD.

Life is full of these.

AND your response (your choice)...

does influence (and alter) the lives of those around you.

I marvel at God because as I type this, He is showing me all the people

who's lives would be different now if I made the other choice.

Over a dozen lives are directly affected. TODAY.

...because of this decision.

 When I stood at this fork in the road...

my eyesight could only see a little way down each direction.

I couldn't see very far.

I couldn't see the outcome that ONE LED TO DESTRUCTION

and that the OTHER LED TO DIVINE GRACE. 
(The Lord by His grace spared me MUCH trouble.)

God wanted me to go down the path that looked challenging.

The one that looked full of mountains and paved in rocks of struggle.

The road that instantly would take me out of my comfort zone.

The one where I just couldn't do it on my own anymore.

And I knew I would have to lean on Him to make it through.  

He beckoned: "Do you trust Me?"

I wanted to go down the smooth paved path though.

It seemed safer.

My flesh craved to go on the road that looked like it dodged the mountains.

One that seemed easier too... 

I desired the wrong kind of security.

 I was scared to move, but I knew I had to make a choice to go forward.
Either one way or the other.

Still He beckoned: "Do you trust Me?"

God called me to make an unpopular choice. 

 It meant I had to choose to either follow the sheep.

Or follow the Shepard.

I followed Him

Was it hard? Yes. 

I thought of Noah building the ark, no one understood him.

But he was obedient. 

I was labeled crazy for taking the path He beckoned me to.

So much so...

 that some people that I loved dearly

 said some very unkind and untrue things about me.

Things that I have forgiven.

They didn't understand.

I prayed they would...

desperately prayed!

But God said: "Not here, they won't understand here, but one day they will..."

"still follow Me now when they don't understand."

Again He beckoned: "Do you trust Me?"

 I had become so weary of sharing about the decision that I made.

No one understood.
Except Him.

A sweet friend (we'll call her "D" ;) from out of state called me one day.

 She told me the she was contacted by someone who was spreading hurtful things about me.

She then asked me what was going on in my world.

I remember thinking: "Lord, I really don't want to talk about this with one more person. 
No one understands"

He helped me find the right words though. He helped me share the story again.

What happened was AMAZING!

She was encouraged that I took the road I was on.

... following and trusting God and not the world or my flesh in this circumstance.

AND THEN...

She said she wanted to follow God too.

And that she thought she should go to church.

Fast forward a few months later. 

My friend,  "D" calls back to tell me that not only is she attending church,

but that she is thinking about joining a bible study...

and wants to know more of God's Word.

Fast forward some more months to this past summer

"D" calls excited (right as I'm preparing to leave for Haiti)
to tell me that she wants to follow Jesus

with her life and that she was baptized!

WOW God!

I was amazed as I heard all these things.

When I asked her many months ago what sparked her interest to make the decision to live for Christ....

She reminded me of that first phone conversation that we had. 

(Remember the one where someone had spread hurtful things to her about me 

and I didn't want to share my story with one other person.)

God intervened with my selfishness and reminded me that it was His story.

He gave me the words. He helped me to share the story again.

She said that she grew up Unitarian (which I did not know beforehand) and did not believe in God and that talking to me sparked her interest more about Him. (EDIT: I had "D" read this story and she said that she DID believe in God beforehand, but hadn't really expressed it yet. Now she is growing in Him day by day! I want this blog to always be full of TRUTH, which means I need to be corrected sometimes ;) Thank You Lord for Your correction!)

WOW God! 
Only You could do something like this!

"D"--- Lord willing, I will see you on your side of the country one day soon
and give you a big ol' hug! 

I'm so happy about what He is doing in your life

UPDATE: I will be visiting "D" SOON- Thank you Jesus!!!
 (with permission)  meet Dana aka "D"

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't be afraid to take the difficult path...

even if you are misunderstood by all your friends, family, and co-workers...

and even *gasp* by the people at your church too.

Follow the Shepard, not the sheep.

Trust Him.

Take the path He beckons you to.

Trust Him.

He is for you.

"You intended to harm me,  

but God intended it for good 

 to accomplish what is now being done, 

the saving of many lives." -Genesis 50:20