The next level

I've had some good conversations with my boyfriend this week..and i really hope he doesn't mind me telling you about one of those conversations :/ but I'm an open book when it comes to certain things in life and when it comes to good conversations i'll be the first person to turn those pages. (I'm pretty sure that he knows that already)

Anyways, one of the topics of a conversation we had was about how in life we dont' have to always have everything figured out before we take the next steps in living. How sometimes walking by faith really means taking a plunge (like moving and starting a new church or even beginning a relationship) without knowing how it is all going to work out.

For instance, i remember that the exact moment i had decided to move to Arkansas wasn't the moment when i figured out where i would live or where i would work, it was the moment when i figured out it was the next level on this journey of life that i was supposed to get to and in order to get to it that meant that i had to take certain steps; such as notifying Robb and Vanessa of my decision even leaving the camp season early. I knew that Vintage Fellowship was supposed to be apart of the journey of my life even though i wasn't sure where i would fit or how it would work out.

I also think of my relatioship with my boyfriend, Carl. Carl and i did not talk for about 3 months prior to us dating. I found myself for a month 1/2 praying and asking God to bring into my life a relationship because for the first time in my entire life i knew that a deep relationship with someone who was more than just a friend was supposed to be that next level for me on this journey.

Once i had figured that out i then realized that God wasn't going to drop a man on my door step but that i would have to start climbing up the steps to get to that level. So i did, i prayed and the more that i prayed about the kind of man that i wanted in my life the more that Carl became apart of that picture. Once i realized that I wanted Carl to be apart of that journey then took more steps to get him apart of that journey and didn't realize that Carl was like wise takeing necessary steps to be apart of my journey and to have me apart of his.

Now, i've again found myself asking the question what will be that next level for me in life. Trust me when I say. I enjoy the level i'm on now, i'm enjoying learning and growing, and being reshaped and molded by those closes to me at Vintage and those closes to me in my heart.

I've figured out that staying on a level in life for a period of time is good and often it seems as though God kind of blocks the stairs off to the other level when he doesn't want us climbing any more. However, what does one do when God opens up different levels and leaves us with the decision of choosing the steps we would like to take (of course for his glory and honor and such :) ) I say to choose the level that you want the most and that you feel will take you closest to the other levels that you would like to move. I say go ahead make a decision such as moving to arkansas to help start a new church or getting into a long distance relationship with someone who you wish lived not so distantly away :) even if you odn't know how it is all going to work out.

I think that sometimes you can't get anywhere in life until you choose where you are going and the things that you need to make getting where your going happen can't fall into place until you choose where you are going to go.

Obviously prayer of course needs to be apart of any major decision but i'll never forget what one professor told my class in college..he said "God's will is for you to make wise and godly choices how you choose to do that is up to you."

So what do you want in life? Will it help you or deter you from something good? Will it challenge you or will it break you? Will it profit you or will it hurt you?

So make wise and godly decisions but remember that you don't have to have all the details figured out in order to pick the next level.