Fleeing Complacency

God is at work. Alive and active. And lately I've been more aware of the work he is doing in my heart and mind. It started in 7th grade really.  When I first really learned about Africa, yes, the whole continent, in Geography. We learned about Apartheid in South Africa. I cried in class. I told people I wanted to be a missionary to Africa some day...or marry a youth minister because youth ministry was just so fun. I majored in Psychology and minored in Missions. I walked across the stage my senior year and declared that I would be a missionary some day, in some capacity, somewhere, but I didn't know where yet. I've had this nagging prayer in my head, probably since I was in high school, "God, please, I don't ever want to become comfortable." I meant it, I still do, when I say that prayer.  Somewhere along the way I saw people that chased after a nice comfortable life, and I didn't want that. Then I went to grad school and continued to pursue psychology. The classes that most impacted me; Child Development, Marriage and Family, and Diversity. Diversity rocked my world, thank you Dr. Derek McNeil. I am truly grateful for the hard lessons, and eye opening discussions in that class (the movie, Crash, also came out at that time).  So, I get married (to a youth minister). We adopt our son, keep pursuing adoption. Things happen, big and little. It's now 2013 and I'm 31. I've been in this town in Oklahoma for almost 8 years, my husband 10. My life is overall...nice and comfortable.  This is not bad. But it's what it is.
Feeling discontentment in my heart last summer, I prayed that God will help me be content, not eager or anxious or impatient or discontent, but grateful, hopeful, and...content. right where we are. right now. for however long. But I started reading some books. Like, The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne (http://www.thesimpleway.org/shane/), and Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker (http://jenhatmaker.com/books.htm). I taught a class at church camp last summer on The Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10, and listened to this song a lot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIbCZc_nJwM.  I asked "what if Jesus really meant what he said?"  what if? We visited our friends who are working with a people group in South Sudan (they were in Dallas for a bit waiting until they could go back after the turmoil in Sudan), helping them develop a written language so that one day they can have the Bible in their language. We decided to sign up for Perspectives this spring, http://www.perspectives.org/site/pp.aspx?c=eqLLI0OFKrF&b=2806295  This 15 week course, 3 hrs each week, has rocked my world, to say the least. It's all very refreshing, right-on, challenging and convicting. But I'm learning, almost for the first time in my life that Jesus is all that matters, He is everything, everything is all about Him, always. He is all I want to live for. My spirit is alive and moving within me. Our late night talks, Nathan and I, are thrilling as we think and pray and hope and dream of what we can do to serve God. So, at this point, we're open, we say YES, whatever that means. we don't know. but we can't wait.