EARLIER THIS MONTH I EXPERIENCED ONE OF THE GREATEST WEEKENDS OF MY MARRIED LIFE AMONGST THE FAMILY OF GOD…OUR CHURCH FAMILY. I KNOW YOU MAY BE THINKING…HMMM…ONE OF THE BEST WEEKENDS OF MARRIED LIFE WITH THE FAMILY OF GOD PROBABLY WOULD NOT GO TOGETHER? AND THAT MAYBE A LONG-AWAITED VACATION OR WEEKEND GET AWAY WOULD PROBABLY BE MORE FITTING. I TOTALLY GET THAT WAY OF THINKING AND I TOO WOULD NOT HAVE NECESSARILY PUT THESE TWO TOGETHER HAD I NOT HAD THIS LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE. THE BEAUTIFUL WEEKEND BEGAN WITH A FUN NIGHT OUT BY WAY OF A PROM AT A BEAUTIFUL HOTEL ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND A DAY OF IMPARTATION AND PARTICIPATION ON THAT SATURDAY AT THE CHURCH WRAPPED UP THE WEEKEND.
SOME OF US ARE CONNECTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND YOU MAY HAVE SEEN THE PICTURES I POSTED OF ME AND MY HUSBAND ALL DRESSED UP ON PROM NIGHT LOOKING LIKE WE COULD BE ON THE COVER OF A MAGAZINE. OKAY MAYBE THAT WAS A LITTLE TOO FAR LOL. BUT OH MY GOODNESS, MY HUSBAND COULD NOT STAY OFF HIMSELF. HE WAS TAKING SELFIES LIKE I HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE. AT ONE POINT BEFORE THE NIGHT BEGAN I FELT LIKE SAYING HONEY I AM OVER HERE LOL.
AT THE CHURCH THAT SATURDAY WE HAD AN EXCELLENT TEACHING SESSION WITH OUR SENIOR PASTORS POURING INTO OUR MARRIAGES…IT WAS SUCH A BLESSING. AFTER OUR SESSION WE BROKE INTO GROUPS AND THIS IS WHERE MY FOCUS THIS WEEK IS COMING FROM. WE FOUND OURSELVES IN THE FELLOWSHIP HALL GETTING READY FOR A WORKSHOP. THIS WAS NOT AN ORDINARY WORKSHOP, IT WAS A COUPLE’S SALSA TYPE WORKSHOP WITH A DANCE INSTRUCTOR AND I WAS SO EXCITED. I WILL WAIT A FEW SECONDS WHILE SOME MAY HAVE HAD TO CATCH YOUR BREATH SINCE I SAID DANCE INSTRUCTOR. OKAY ARE WE GOOD NOW LOL? I AM LAUGHING AT THE MANY TIMES I MISSED GOD OR ALMOST MISSED HIM IN THE PRACTICAL THINGS BECAUSE IT DID NOT COME IN THE PACKAGING I MAY BE USED TO. I AM GRATEFUL FOR HIS STRETCH AND CONTINUOUSLY EXPANDING ME.
HERE WE ARE IN THE FELLOWSHIP HALL AND THE INSTRUCTOR CALLS OUT ALL THE LEADERS. AS A LEADER ALSO MYSELF I DID NOT MOVE BECAUSE IN HER INTRODUCTION SHE EXPLAINED WHO THE LEADERS WERE IN THE CLASS WHICH WERE THE HUSBANDS. ALL THE HUSBANDS WENT OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FLOOR AND THE INSTRUCTOR BEGAN TO EXPLAIN THE MOVES AND THEN SHE HAD THE HUSBANDS PRACTICE THE MOVES. MY HUSBAND DID GREAT. HE STAYED IN RHYTHM AND IN SYNC. I WAS SO PROUD OF HIM. THEN IT WAS THE WIVE’S TURN. NO SHAME, I WAS A HOT MESS. IF IT’S NOT MY HOLY CHURCH SHUFFLE BEFORE THE LORD, THEN I CAN’T DO IT. IT TOOK ME A COUPLE TRIES TO GET IT TOGETHER AND I DID FINALLY.
NOW IT WAS TIME FOR THE COUPLES TO COME TOGETHER TO DO THE STEPS WE LEARNED. UH-OH…THE INSTRUCTOR ADDED MUSIC! HERE IS THE ISSUE WITH THAT. MY HUSBAND DOES NOT HAVE RHYTHM. NOW WE ARE NO LONGER IN THE FORMATION AND OTHER COUPLES WHO “GOT IT” ARE GOING AROUND US AND PASSING US. I WAS TRYING TO TELL MY HUSBAND AS DESCRETELY AS POSSIBLE THAT WE NEED TO BE ON BEAT AND KEEP UP. I WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL, NOTHING CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH BECAUSE I DID NOT WANT US TO STOP COMPLETELY. IT IS CLEARLY AFFECTING ME, BUT I KNOW NO ONE ELSE CAN SEE THIS, SO I THOUGHT. THEN HERE COMES THIS VOICE. “LET HIM LEAD”! NOW THIS WAS NOT THE INSTRUCTOR, BUT STILL IT WAS A VOICE OF A WOMAN I DID NOT KNOW PERSONALLY. SHE WAS NOT NASTY OR MEAN-SPIRITED AT ALL, BUT SHE WAS AUTHORITIVE LIKE MYSELF. THIS WAS THE SAME WOMAN I SAW EARLIER TAKING PICTURES OF OUR GROUP WHILE WE WERE PRACTICING, AND I ASKED HER IF SHE WOULD TAKE A PICTURE OF US SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE I WANTED TO CAPTURE THE MOMENT. BUT THAT DID NOT GIVE HER PERMISSION TO BE ALL UP IN MY BUSINESS LOL. I HEARD HER AGAIN PARAPHRASING IN THE WORDS SHE SPOKE, “YOU GOTTA LET HIM LEAD, YOU ARE PULLING HIM, WAIT FOR HIM, YOU HAVE TO WAIT FOR HIM AND LET HIM LEADYOU”. I JUST DID A SMILE BECAUSE AS FAR AS I WAS CONCERNED HE WAS LEADING. HONESTLY, I HAD NO IDEA I WAS PULLING HIM TOWARD ME BECAUSE THE WAY THE MOVES WERE, HE WAS LEANING TOWARD ME ANYWAY. HOWEVER, AFTER IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT I REALLY WAS NOT LETTING HIM LEAD, I BEGAN TO REALIZE IT MYSELF. I ALSO BEGAN TO SHIFT AND MAKE THE NECESSARY ADJUSTMENTS TO YIELD AND ALLOW MY HUSBAND TO LEAD THE DANCE. AFTER I REALIZED AND SWITCHED UP, I HEARD THE WOMAN CALL OUT AGAIN, BUT I SAW SHE WAS NOT TALKING TO ME AND WAS CALLING OUT ON ANOTHER WIFE THANK GOD LOL. EVERY SINGLE PART OF THIS SPECIAL WEEKEND TRULY MADE AN IMPACT ON ME AND I BELIEVE THIS MOMENT WAS THE MOST EYE OPENING. THE WHOLE SALSA TYPE WORKSHOP WAS TO ALLOW THE LEADER TO LEAD AND TO SYNCHRONIZE ONE ANOTHER’S STEPS AS ONE. IT HAD VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH DANCING.
THIS HAD ME THINKING ABOUT OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH CHRIST AS THE CHURCH IS HIS BRIDE. I THOUGHT ABOUT HOW LIFE CAN BE A DANCE AND HIS PLANS AND FAVOR ARE LEANING OUR WAY, BUT OFTEN TIMES HE IS NOT LEADING. WE ARE MAKING OUR OWN PLANS PULLING HIM (LIKE I WAS WITH MY HUSBAND) TO GET THINGS DONE THE WAY WE WANT TO GET THEM DONE, AND IN THE TIME WE THINK THEY SHOULD GET DONE…. INSTEAD OF ALLOWING HIM TO LEAD. WE GET CAUGHT UP IN LOOKING AT OUR BROTHER AND OUR SISTER NEXT TO US WHO APPEAR TO BE PASSING US, YOU KNOW, THEY LOOK LIKE THEY GOT THEMSELVES TOGETHER AND I CAN’T KEEP UP. WHEN ARE WE GOING TO REALIZE WE ARE NOT COMPETING WITH ONE ANOTHER AND THAT HE HAS THE TIMING OF OUR STEPS? OUR STEPS ARE ORDERED BY THE LORD AND THEY ARE OUR OWN UNIQUE STEPS. HIS TIMING FOR US IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT THAN THE NEXT PERSON. WE ARE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE AND MARVELOUS ARE HIS WORKS.
ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT GOD SPEAKS TO US THROUGH HIS WORD AND HE ALSO HAS LEADERS WHO HE HAS PLACED IN OUR LIVES TO WATCH OVER US AND TO HELP AID US IN OUR JOURNEY TO DESTINY. IN THIS WORKSHOP THE INSTRUCTOR WAS LIKE GOD, HIS WORD, HIS INSTRUCTION, AND THE WOMAN WHO SPOKE OUT TO ME ABOUT LETTING MY HUSBAND LEAD WAS LIKE OUR LOCAL PASTORS ARE IN OUR LIVES. SHE WAS INTERPRETING, BREAKING DOWN, WATCHING AND REMINDING US OF THE INSTRUCTIONS. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU GONE TO CHURCH AND YOUR PASTOR WAS ALL IN YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH HIS OR HER MESSAGE. IT’S LIKE, WERE YOU IN MY HOUSE, AT MY OFFICE, AT MY SCHOOL, IN THE GROCERY STORE WITH ME? HOW DID YOU KNOW TO PREACH THIS? HOW MANY OF US WHEN WE HEAR THIS WE ARE SMILING BUT SAYING I DON’T HEAR YOU “I’M GOOD”. YOUR FLESH WON’T WANT TO HEAR THE TRUTH BUT ONCE YOU ALLOW THE TRUTH TO REACH YOUR SPIRIT THROUGH THAT VOICE OF AUTHORITY HE HAS PLACED IN YOUR LIFE, YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING BUT SUBMIT TO GOD’S WORD. OUR PASTORS ARE VITAL IN OUR WALK WITH CHRIST AND YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A PASTOR WHO HEARS GOD BECAUSE GOD GIVES THEM WHAT WE NEED. AND THEY DON’T HAVE TO BE WITH US DURING THE WEEK. GOD WAS IN OUR HOMES AND AT WORK WITH US AND THE GROCERY STORE. HE WAS THE ONE TOUCHING OUR PASTOR’S HEART ON WHAT TO SHARE WITH US. OUR LEADERS ARE THE WATCHMAN OVER OUR SOULS AND THEY ARE HERE TO COVER US AND HELP US WALK OUT THIS LIFE OF CHRIST SO WE CAN REACH OUR FULLEST POTENTIAL IN HIM AND MAKE AN IMPACT SO WE CAN GROW THE KINGDOM OF GOD….. AND AGAIN MAKE AN IMPACT.
GOD KNOWS WHAT IS BEST. YOUR STEPS ARE ORDERED. HIS FAVOR IS ON YOUR LIFE. HE IS ALREADY LEANING YOUR WAY. WAIT ON GOD, SHIFT, YIELD, SYNCHRONIZE YOUR STEPS WITH HIS, AND LET HIM LEAD.
PRAYER: LORD YOU REIGN, AND I HONOR YOU TODAY. FORGIVE ME FOR THOSE TIMES I HAVE FALLEN SHORT OF YOUR GLORY AND OUT OF SYNC WITH YOUR WORD. FORGIVE ME FOR PULLING YOU OVER TO MY AGENDA INSTEAD OF ALLOWING YOU TO LEAD ME. I FULLY SURRENDER EVERYTHING TO YOU NOW EVEN THE AREAS I WAS UNAWARE I WAS PULLING. YOU ARE MY SOURCE. YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF MY SALVATION. YOU ARE THE STRENGTH OF MY LIFE. YOU ARE THE ONLY WISE GOD. IT IS IN YOU I LIVE I MOVE AND I HAVE MY BEING. I CHOOSE TO LIVE YOUR WAY AND BY YOUR LEADING. IN JESUS MIGHTY NAME I PRAY. AMEN.
SCRIPTURES:
Psalm 25:9 (NIV)
9 He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.
Proverbs 4:25-27 (NIV)
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. 26 Give careful thought to the[a] paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil
Proverbs 19:20-21 (AMP)
20 Listen to counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, That you may be wise in the time to come. 21 Many plans are in a man’s mind, But it is the Lord’s purpose for him that will stand (be carried out).
Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 13:17 (NIV)
17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
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