What If?

I grew up reading the What If? comics by Marvel.  Lately I've been thinking, "What if God is never done with us?"

I have been leading members of the faith community I oversee in reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan.  Something I always try to do is to open myself to transformation in the midst of leading a study so that I get to experience the study WITH the community members.  It's happening again and now I'm wondering, "What if God is never finished with us?"

Normally that wouldn't be a terrifying question, but when you let go of everything you are comfortable with, and a vocational expression of call that you are comfortable in, to move into the new place God wants you to be, it becomes a somewhat terrifying question to consider.

What if where I am today is not where God intends to leave me?  What if where I am right now is merely another signpost along the way of this journey?  Am I a pan of brownies in God's oven that never gets completely cooked?  Or do I finally get to be "done," "finished," or will I ever finally "arrive" at my destination?

I'm asking the questions because I know others may be dealing with them, too.  I've had many people over eleven-ish years of ministry ask me, "What's my purpose in life?"  And I've replied back to them, "Love God with everything you have every single day, and love people, too."  Usually, they look at me with a little bit of disappointment mixed with frustration and say, "That's it?"  And I say back, "That's it."

Now I'm understanding that to say, "That's it," minimizes how far that little purpose can take us.  Every day I'm trying to figure out what it means to love God with everything I have, and that quest takes me higher and deeper in relationship with my Creator, Savior and Sustainer than I can even imagine.

And tonight, I'm a little afraid, because I know, deep down inside this neurotic, tongue-tied little heart of mine that I am not done yet and I have not arrived and I should not get comfortable.  I know that there is more out there for me to do and find in my relationship with God and that to respond will require trust and nothing more.  It is the proverbial "no extra sandals, no money, and no walking stick"--or maybe not so proverbial.

I guess I'll finish up with this.  What if today was the day that you really, honestly and truly, loved God with everything that you are and loved your neighbor as you love yourself?  How far would it take you from where you are right now and how scared does that thought make you?  If it doesn't scare you the way it scares me, maybe you aren't considering it as seriously as you should.