The Average Trap pt2

I think that's why it's so difficult to recognize when God is calling us into a new season. We become so accustomed to where we are that we no longer see it the way we once did.

It's like moving to a new city. When you first arrive, everything captures your attention. You notice every street, every building, every restaurant. Everything feels new. Then, after a year or two, someone comes to visit. They point out something you've never noticed before, and you wonder, "Has that always been there?"

Of course it has. The difference is that you've become familiar with it.

I think that's what happens in our spiritual lives as well. God has blessed us. We've seen His faithfulness. We've accomplished things we once prayed for. We've reached milestones we never thought possible.

Then, without realizing it, what was once an answer to prayer becomes our comfort zone.

I feel like God is saying to many of us, "Yes, it's been a good journey. Yes, I've blessed you. Yes, I've been faithful. But I don't want you to settle here because there is still more."

There is greater in you. There is greater that I have for you. That doesn't mean we become ungrateful. It doesn't mean we complain about where we are. Gratitude and growth can exist together.

We can thank God for this season while still recognizing that He is preparing us for another one.

I've seen that in my own life.

Not too long ago, my husband and I were talking with some friends about doing another game night. We used to enjoy getting together, playing games, laughing, and spending time together. As we were talking, I realized something. I didn't want to do it anymore. It wasn't because there was anything wrong with it. It wasn't because I no longer loved the people.

Something inside me had changed. I found myself wanting something deeper. I wanted conversations that stretched me. I wanted to spend my time differently. I wanted more.

At first, I thought something was wrong with me. Then I realized God was enlarging my capacity.

We often pray, "Lord, enlarge my territory." We pray, "Increase my capacity." But what if one of the first ways He answers that prayer is by enlarging our hunger? What if He begins removing our satisfaction with what used to satisfy us?

Maybe that's why you no longer read just one verse and move on. Maybe that's why one message isn't enough anymore.

You find yourself wanting to study the context. You want to understand the meaning of the words. You want to know why God said what He said and what He was revealing. Your appetite changes.

I believe that's one of the ways God leads us out of the average trap.

A couple of weeks ago, I joined a mastermind. For an entire week, I was a student, learning alongside everyone else. On the last day, the instructor asked us a question. Instead of typing our answers in the chat, he asked us to write them down on a blank sheet of paper. There were only two questions, so we wrote our answers, numbered them, and waited for his next instruction. Then he said, "Now I want each of you to share only your first answer in the chat."

There were about seventy people in the class, and as everyone began posting their answers, I started reading through them. I noticed that many of the answers were very similar. Then I noticed something else. I couldn't find mine. Not one person had written what I had written. Immediately, I started questioning myself.

Did I misunderstand the question? Did I miss something? I even laughed to myself and thought, "Well, English isn't my first language. Maybe I can blame it on that."

The more I looked at everyone else's answers, the more uncomfortable I became. My camera was on, and I remember thinking, "Lord, I hope this class is almost over because this is embarrassing."

Then the instructor began reviewing the answers. He said, "Most of you answered this for question number two."

As he continued, I realized he wasn't talking about my answer. Then he gave the answer for question number one. It was exactly what I had written. Word for word. In that moment, the Lord reminded me of something.

People often say it's lonely at the top. They say it's difficult to be a pioneer. They say it's hard to leave what everyone else is doing. I think they're right. Not because we're trying to be different. But because when God begins showing you something that others don't yet see, it feels awkward.

You wonder if you've missed it. You wonder if you've heard Him correctly. You look around, and everyone else seems to be moving in one direction while you're standing there wondering why your answer looks so different.

That's what I imagine Abraham must have felt.

We celebrate him now because we know the outcome. We call him the father of faith because we know where his journey ended.

But Abraham didn't know any of that. He simply heard the voice of God. He stepped away from what had become familiar, and I'm sure there were moments when he wondered if he had heard correctly.

I think that's where many of us find ourselves today.

God is calling us into something that doesn't yet make sense to everyone around us. He's asking us to leave places that have become comfortable. He's inviting us to step into something we can't fully see yet.

That will always feel uncomfortable. But it's worth it.

Because the pioneers we celebrate today were once the people everyone else questioned.

They became examples because they were willing to obey before they were understood.