“…nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

~Jesus, Luke 22:42 NKJV

 

I am a rebel at heart.

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.

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I don’t want to live an ordinary life. 

I want adventure. I want to challenge mediocrity.

My rebellion isn’t against God. It’s against the mundane, everyday expectations of a believer and the rituals required of every Christian. 

Read your Bible—check

Go to church—check

Pray—check

Quiet time—check

I am not saying what Christians are doing is bad or wrong; I am not saying that I am any better than my brothers and sisters.

What if God wants me to minister to family or friends and miss church? What if my neighbor knocks on the door and needs a favor while I’m reading my Bible?

I want to listen to the Spirit and do what He asks.

I want to live a life so dedicated to my Savior that every day is an adventure.  

You may say, “Cherrilynn, that cannot happen. You are living in a spiritual dream bubble.”   

I understand and once felt the same. Let me explain. 

I do not expect my dishes to glow with the Holy Spirit’s power as I wash them, nor do I assume Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” will play in my head all the time. My adventure is seeing things through the eyes of my Lord. It’s the knowledge I am His child, and I can boldly go into His throne room while washing dishes, driving, or even while speaking to a group of women. Knowing the King of the Universe wants to commune with me all day and use this servant satisfies every longing in my soul.

My 90-year-old, feisty grandmother was rushed to the hospital. While in the emergency room, I prayed and asked God to use me.  My grandmother was off for some testing. As I stood in the doorway looking out at the hustle and bustle of the doctors and nurses, I witnessed a volunteer stacking the gauze, towels, and other supplies.  She looked tired and worn. The Lord prompted me to encourage her.

“The doctors and nurses would be lost without you” I began the conversation. She gave me a confused look.  I repeated what I said. “The doctors and nurses would be lost without you.” She gave me a shy smile.

Throughout our short conversation, I learned she volunteered a few nights a week after her day job. I told her how much we appreciated the volunteers at the hospital and that they “were the glue that held the emergency room together.” She chuckled and began to smile. 

“Thank you for talking to me, you are the first person to talk to me all day. I was so incredibly sad and angry. I felt as if my life did not matter. I was going to go home and just cry. You made me so happy. Thank you again.”  

I wanted to cry. How many people in the world go to bed lonely and sad?

There were so many people in the emergency room, but God chose her. I praised God for the opportunity to be used by Him to show someone the love of Christ. 

I am a nobody on a Holy Spirit-led adventure with God, willing to touch as many hearts as possible. I want to change lives with His love and the knowledge of His Word. 

Jesus showed us the way when He was led into the desert for forty days.

The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.

~Mark 1:12 ESV

Others inspired me to leave the path of the expected for an adventure with the Almighty. The Spirit may lead to danger and even death. However, God is glorified by the person who follows. The Apostle Paul, Polycarp (Bishop of Smyrna), and Jim Elliot (missionary to Auca Indians) left the comfort of their homes and changed the lives of many by stepping off the road of mediocrity. I encourage you to read about them if you have not done so already.

Chose now to make the mundane a marvelous adventure with your God. Listen to His voice; He is calling you out of mediocrity.

Do you want to put aside the list of ordinary Christian expectations and see God in every situation?

Father God, help me to defy the mundane and follow the Holy Spirit no matter where He takes me. Instill adventure in my heart and cast out all fear.

In Jesus’ powerful name. Amen.

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2022: Rebel at Heart: Cherrilynn Bisbano: All Rights Reserved