Foundations

Living out God's adventurous plan for me didn't exactly start recently. I thought I should give a bit of background of what probably looks familiar to other people who have grown up in the church, gone to Sunday school, and had a Christian home. I did the whole ask Jesus into my heart multiple times thing, starting at age five under a blanket. When I was six, I thought I'd be more grown up about it, and asked while on the toilet. By age seven, I realized that was far too embarrassing a story to tell, so I tried once more in Sunday school. Bam, done, official Christian. Let's start doing this for real.

I also had the privilege of attending a Christian school my entire elementary and high school years (three schools in total) which taught me a great deal about the Bible, how to treat people around me, God's love for me, and other wonderful goodies. My parents were very involved in my spiritual growth, were my Sunday school teachers for the most part, and always challenged me. Most of my friends went to church and school with me, and I was rarely without an abundance of good ones. I was probably sheltered, but I did learn many things about the "real world" through various experiences and people.

In high school, I was very involved in leadership roles, including student council where I became the vice president, as well as president. I went to youth regularly, was part of the dance team, loved to worship through music, and had a solid relationship with God. Going to a Christian high school made it easier to talk about Him and what He was doing in my life. I saw even more of the real world, went through struggles, had breakthroughs, developed bad habits, tried to apply God in a practical way, attended a few churches, met my future husband, and continued to pursue Christ in the best ways I knew how. And it was all good.

Being an emotionally driven person, I was often looking for that "moment". That time during a sermon or a song where you finally feel like you finally got it, and you truly understand God's Presence and how to truly live for Him. I waited for and pursued a feeling of overwhelming goodness that I could never look back on. And I did get them. But I later felt they weren't "enough" to change me forever, or to turn me into a real radical. I still loved God, did things He called me to do, lived out His will, and learned how to share Him with others. But still I waited.

Although I did have one experience that I strongly consider my "life changing moment", this whole thing was much more of a process than one intense hour long session with God. The most prominent example is how God has often placed me in leadership roles, and I have risen to the challenge, and grown closer to Him than I could have ever imagined. The summer after said life changing moment, I was asked to fill some leadership positions at camp that I did not feel qualified for. But my mind was blown as He worked through me in ways I was never capable of. I believe one of the biggest factors in that experience was my strong foundation in Him that I have been growing and developing since I was five years old under a blanket.

None of my God pursuing experiences and learning was a waste, even though I never felt I was "there". All of it was a building of my faith, my understanding of His word and will, and my absolute and undeniable love for Jesus and His Presence. This scenario may be typical among Christians who grow up with faith, and one day feel they have reached the mature age to really get their life together and follow Him with more passion, more holiness, and more radical living than ever. And although age and maturity are factors, I don't believe they are the goal we aim for before we finally stop being luke warm and start being red hot for our Saviour. I'll share more about my recent experiences that led me to the place where I feel I "finally got it" (Sorry, I am using an excessive amount of "quotations").

But my challenge to you is to use your foundation, however strong or long it may be, and use it as a jumping block, a stepping stone, a gateway; but never a plateau.