I will go...

Every time I read through the story of Rebekah I always pause and think about what an amazing woman she was. I was reading Genesis 24 yesterday and some things stood out to me that I kind of skimmed over in the past.
The reason I have always admired this woman was because she is just going through the daily grind...doing her daily chores, when all of a sudden a man shows up, tells her God sent him to bring her back to his master, she agrees to go...and off they ride into the sunset. Her willingness to follow this stranger so that she could meet and spend the rest of her life married to another stranger was no doubt a brave decision.
When Abraham’s servant came to the place where he was supposed to find this woman for Isaac, he asked God to give him a sign...have the woman offer a drink to his camels as well. Sure enough, Rebekah comes up, this man asks for a drink and she not only gives him a drink, but she draws enough water and gives water to his camels as well. Clearly, this woman had a servant’s heart. I do not think Rebekah thought she was doing anything extraordinary and I do not think she was trying to impress the man, she simply saw the need and extended herself to serve. It was because of her servant’s heart that she was chosen.
After the servant reveals his reason for coming he praises God and gives gifts to Rebeka. He then proceeds to ask her father if he can skip through the tradition of waiting around for ten days and bring her to his master immediately. The decision rests in Rebeka’s hands. “Will you go with this man?” they said. “I will go.”
I love that. “I will go.” I can only imagine what was going through her mind at this time. Fear, doubt, what about her family? They gave her an out...they left the decision up to her. No one would have blamed her for wanting to spend a week or so saying good bye to her family...but she recognized this man as a Godly man and went.
Rebeka did not know where she would be going, who she would be marying, what kind of world or life she was entering...she did not even “clearly” hear from God on the matter. She was given an opportunity and without weighing the risk, consequence, or personal loss—she left her family and followed this man.
She was willing to venture into the unknown—she saw something in this man and wanted to be a part of it. “I will go...”
Just like this servant bestowed gifts to Rebeka, God has laid out his treasure before us. He has clearly spoken to us about what directions are lives should constantly be heading. Are we up for the challenge, the adventure? Will we go? Or will we remain paralyzed in fear of the unknown? When I think of Rebeka I think of a woman who was willing to be completely open and vulnerable to a man and his family that she did not know. With that complete trust and total openness and a heart that lives to serve, God will take us through the unknown to do what our minds don’t even dream of.

Just a vessel...

Pastor Dan did an object lesson in church yesterday that really spoke to me. He was talking about “barriers” between people and God. As he was speaking my mind immediately began to race with all the people in my life that I love so much who do not know God. I was thinking of different barriers and reasons why they choose to reject the truth and I felt this overwhelming burden...like they were never going to “get it.”
My thoughts were interrupted by Dan pulling a sheet off of a table with bricks on it. He took a hammer and began hammering away at the brick talking about how we often, in our own strength, try to be the force behind the hammer...we don’t even make a dent in the lives of those around us. But when we let God be the force, and we simply just allow ourselves to be the tool—God works and works at the seemingly indestructible barrier and shatters all excuses people have to reject Him.
As I examine my life and the relationships I am in I see how often I try to be the one who “changes” the lives of those around me. I know full well that there is nothing extra special about me that has the power to do this, but for some reason (pride) I approach people trying to be the driving force to point them in the right direction, instead of just allowing God’s love to spill out of my life and consume all those around me.
I have been praying and thinking a lot about what living in Tanzania is going to be like next year and as I have done that I have gotten a little overwhelmed...the need is so huge, what can just one person do? But yesterday I was reminded (again) that it isn’t about what I can do or what I can say...I just need to follow the path that God has called me to and stay so close to God that His love becomes who I am and in doing that lives will be touched and changed.
I want to be a vessel. Just something plain and ordinary that God can pour out his love through so that the hurting, hopeless, and lost people of this world can find Him. When I stop worrying about if I am saying the right words to convince someone or doing the right thing to show someone, then I am free to just love them with no restrictions and trust and believe that God is constantly pursuing their hearts and will use me and other people in their lives to show them who He really is.