What do YOU want to do?

Covered Emptiness. М Космополитес

Matthew 12:50, "For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother."

In my travels I have come to a question more than once in the past few days. It is the question of, "What does God want me to do?" To be frank, it is a question I ask myself daily. But the circumstances I am hearing it from others is from the perspective of individuals searching for that purpose, activity, or job they should be doing while remaining in relationship to God.

Universally when I hear people openly searching for God in this manner I will always respond, "What is God telling you to do?"

What has prompted this post now is that more than once in a couple of days the people have said God responded with, "What do you want to do?" And like me in the past, they are interpreting that response as do whatever you would like, and God will go with you. When they say that I cannot help but laugh because I have been there, and I understand God has asked a trick question.

In 2002 faced with the demise of a life's work I went to God with the very same question. What do you want me to do? And got the very same question in response. God said, "What do you want to do?"

Why did I interpret that as Him giving me permission to be a creator? I even argued with friends and leaders about being created in His image, an image that creates. I argued that God want's children, not slaves. That all children are allowed at some point to be of society and to contribute with their creativity. I argued that we are given talents to use. I argued about the permissive will of God v. the specific will of God. And I argued that because we cannot hear or see clearly, that we have to move regardless of the command of God. All of this. All of these arguments for me were a 9+ year waste of time. None of these were the answer God was looking for when He asked, "What do you want to do?"

I am not here saying this is for everyone, because many never come to the question. But if you have asked God what do I do? Or asked it in any other form, and the response from heaven has been, What do you want to do? Let me give you the answer. The answer to what do you want to do is ALWAYS... the will of the Father.

"I want to do Your will." I want to do whatever You want me to do. I have no will of my own, You command me. That is the answer! All other answers are the long road to surrender. All other answers are direct confrontation to your abilities and the inadequacy they represent. To answer any other way is to prolong discovering the real answer of God's will and only God's will.

James 4: 13&15 "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.'...Instead you ought to say, 'IF THE LORD WILLS, we will live and also do this or that."

So you give the answer God wants to hear and what happens? Nothing. Nothing is very likely the next thing you are going to hear. For me at least, the path to obedience began with rest. It began with doing nothing at all. I had to unlearn doing. I had to unlearn my plans, my abilities, my talents, and I unlearned them by completely yielding to God, and Him saying do nothing but trust Me. I still am unlearning daily, particularly trying to unlearn predicting the results, because with God results never seem predictable.

If God is saying nothing. Then nothing is what you are supposed to do. Because coupled with: I want to do the will of the Father is also I will do NOTHING without Him. I will do NOTHING apart from His command. Nothing... it's a powerful place with God.

Go ahead strive to hear His voice. Earnestly seek His command, His plan. But remember no response is to simply rest and trust in Him while doing nothing. It is from here that He will begin to command. And from here that you will discover a God like you have never seen before.

Take the mask off, and rest in the emptiness. It is here that surrender is found, and here that Christ will fill you with Himself. 

Hanging Out

Luke 19:5, "When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, 'Zaccheus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house.'"

What an awesome day! In began with sadness sending my daughter and her boyfriend back to New York City. Sad that I could not have her in my possession, but at the same time I dropped her off confident she is in the middle of God's plan for her life. That this time of training, growing, sharing, will not last forever, and if God wills she will once again be close enough to visit face to face more often. Plus I understand there are people there in New York that need her friendship and love. I clearly see how God is using her as a light, a safe harbor in a very dark industry. More so, I see how God has given her an incredible partner in the New York project. It makes her Dad's heart glad.

But to see this clearly was not all God had in-store. He treated my wife to a much deserved gift. And while on the way to the mall to pick something else up, some extreme randomness in the parking lot led us to running into a friend of ours. We were all in fact headed to the same store. Afterwards we had a seat in the mall and just talked.

This friend is one of the typical wounded Christians I encounter. Wounded by a spouse, scorned after decades of marriage. The wounds are scaring over, but still fresh enough for the friend to look in the mirror everyday and be reminded of how evil the opposite sex can be. There is an undertone of confusion, perhaps distane even for God in this destruction of hope and life. All of which is manifesting in pure self will in relationships. Bouncing from one to another, no commitment, no consideration of God, only a fear of being hurt again, and a longing for time to rewind to better days. All of which allowed me to practice what I preach in the presence of my wife.

It was awesome to just jump in the mud with our friend. To listen without advice or question. To see a person in a place I have been, but for Jamie and I to be united as a light. An example of what God intends in a marriage. A light of hope after divorce. We did nothing, but be friends. We just were. We were our ourselves and that is where the love of God was. A proverbial shoulder to cry on, while not wavering from the truth and beauty of a godly relationship and marriage.

There may have been no noticeable impact on our friend. But one thing I am certain of. We were Christ as in that hour. It was Jesus that sat there and lived through us. And always it was Jesus looking at us saying, "will you love Me?"