Needing to hear something over and over and over

I am learning that we often need to hear something multiple times from multiple sources before it sinks in, or we finally take action. Have you ever had that happen? You keep hearing a consistent message in different ways from a variety of people? Now that I pay attention to it, I realize how often this happens for me.

Photo credit: Creative Commons (passitonfromthemill)

I have been having conversations with many different people lately about the idea of not knowing the entire plan before taking a step of faith. It’s a message that I have blogged about before, and most likely have had a conversation about this with many of you.

I’m typically a planner. I love to know the entire process. I crave to know the outcome and that everything will be okay. It’s something I’ve really struggled with since learning to live differently and allowing God to steer this ship, as well as learning to dream again. Yet, I continually hear the same message.

STOP trying to figure out the whole plan! TRUST ME!

I just finished a book called Interrupted by Jen Hatmaker. The concept of the book is not new to me. It’s something I’ve been learning about on my journey over the last five years. The book tells the story of their normal life being interrupted by God. Their world view was flipped upside down, even though they had been Christians their entire lives, and even worked in Christian ministry. At times, I felt like she was reading from my journal! I’ve read her blog before, but I really love her honest, funny writing style. She is real and authentic and doesn’t write fluff.

When I read her thoughts on taking steps in faith, her words really hit me. There is something really powerful about hearing someone’s personal story, and how they walked through this process.

Here are a few passages that were once again words that I continue to need to hear over and over and over…..

“I discovered the journey was not only about something new but was also about being willing to go, even before we knew where we were going.”

“Had we possessed a clear vision, we would have defiled with defensiveness something God intended to be pure.”

“We can wreck the spirit of a mission by prematurely focusing on the strategy. When the “how” eclipses the “why” too soon, we create a potential shift to defend and execute rather than listen and receive.”

“God was unwilling to let us spoil this splendid undertaking, so He didn’t explain it until we could safely receive it without ruining it.”

“My instincts told me to bail, but this was the most crucial moment to stay the course. I was learning how to release, to not defend myself, to not act as my own protector.”

These words encouraged me. Again, I know that I am not alone in this process. God continues to reassure me and help me know that it is okay not to know the plan, even if I naturally want to push against it. I’m learning to take one step at a time. One foot in front of the other. Some day, I may look back and understand how all of these steps led to a much bigger picture. But, for now, I’m enjoying the process of learning to release and embrace this journey as a teacher.

Have you had a message that you needed to hear over and over?