{"id":180,"date":"2011-04-30T05:53:32","date_gmt":"2011-04-30T09:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=180"},"modified":"2011-04-29T20:24:05","modified_gmt":"2011-04-30T00:24:05","slug":"commitment-not-excitement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/04\/commitment-not-excitement.html","title":{"rendered":"Commitment–Not Excitement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Is there a way to insure that God is working in our lives and in the lives of those people we care about? \u00a0Perhaps it is the common and mundane that accents the Christian life more than any other attribute.<\/p>\n

When I was in my early 20’s, God suddenly started moving in the youth group that my husband and I led. \u00a0The miraculous became almost routine. \u00a0We prayed and God answered in wonderfully amazing ways. \u00a0Young men and women were changed, healed and transformed in our home.<\/p>\n

One Friday evening, we had invited a youth choir from another church to sing for our group. \u00a0After their concert, the Holy Spirit fell on the young people. \u00a0Without any prompting, they rushed to the altar weeping and seeking God to change them. \"\"<\/a> We prayed for our town, our state and our country. \u00a0Into the night, these teens prayed for each other, seeking God with an earnestness that I never witnessed in the conventional staid churches where I had been raised. \u00a0Those of us who were leading stood back. \u00a0We wondered what we should do; and yet we were afraid to do anything, except let God have his way with those young men and women.<\/p>\n

God was merciful to let us know that we were experiencing a revival and a move of His Spirit that was unusual in its scope and influence. \u00a0Later, this time period became known as The Jesus Movement.<\/p>\n

As wonderful as that time was, we saw some of the young people walk away from the Lord. \u00a0They saw miracles but the bobbles of the world were much more exciting for them. \u00a0Then there was Cindy, Mike, Rick, Denise and twenty others. \u00a0They came and learned quietly. \u00a0They were faithful and consistent in their commitment to the Lord. \u00a0They took study of the Scriptures seriously. They prayed without seeking the limelight. \u00a0They weren’t shoot stars but beacons of light.<\/p>\n

During those years, I learned valuable lessons about what it means to live the Christian life. \u00a0God seems selective about when he moves in the miraculous. \u00a0He prefers to anoint daily prayers and work by small increments in our lives. \u00a0It appears that He delights in our acknowledgments of His power and majesty as we view a sunset or witness a thunder-storm.<\/p>\n

I think I understand. \u00a0One of the great things about The Special Gathering members which is a ministry within the intellectually disabled community is that they are grateful for even the smallest favors. \"\"<\/a> They relish a smile or a handshake. \u00a0They delight in Dollar Tree gifts. The spectacular is good; but it isn’t necessary to garner their approval. \u00a0As I walk into their job sites, they are thrilled to see me.<\/p>\n

While God is able to shower miracles on anyone at anytime, it must be thrilling to Him when a child seeks Him wanting a pleasant conversation first thing in the morning. \u00a0When we simply want to crawl into his lap and rest at the end of the day, our Father must breathe with peaceful approval. \u00a0Perhaps excitement is over rated and commitment is more what warms the heart of our Lord and is the sign of real spiritual growth.<\/p>\n

Photos: \u00a0Light from Heaven by Hossein Ghodsi and Let’s shake hands by demarsman<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is there a way to insure that God is working in our lives and in the lives of those people we care about? \u00a0Perhaps it is the common and mundane that accents the Christian life more than any other attribute. When I was in my early 20’s, God suddenly started moving in the youth group…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,5,20,3,40,10,16,28,12,4,41],"tags":[690,21,688,696,7,18,699,701,13,694,689,702,692,700],"class_list":["post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autism-spectrum","category-christianity","category-church","category-developmental-disabilities","category-faith","category-inspirational","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged","category-religion","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-church","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-discipleship","tag-faith","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disabilities","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-miracles","tag-religion","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nCommitment-Not Excitement - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, nofollow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Commitment-Not Excitement - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is there a way to insure that God is working in our lives and in the lives of those people we care about? \u00a0Perhaps it is the common and mundane that accents the Christian life more than any other attribute. 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