Sensible? Overrated!

I found this notecard a few months ago, and it said, “She realized she was missing a great deal by being sensible.” I realize this runs a bit counter to my blog title, but it says sensible shoes not sensible Cody. I think I have missed out on a great deal of things, even things that God would have had me do, because I was “sensible” or “safe.” I bought that card for myself and taped it up on my mirror. It’s not scripture, but I’m pretty sure God was nudging me with it. This has been the most interesting five months of my life. Hands down. By far. And it’s because the Lord has been teaching me to live faithfully, not sensibly.
One of my good friends and I go to Beth Moore’s Bible Study on Tuesday nights. It’s always a good time! Maybe a month ago, Beth Moore announced that she had planned a trip to Israel for 96 people – her staff and volunteers had had the first chance to sign up, but there were still a few spots open. “If you’re interested at all, just email this address…”

I would like to go to Israel! But I don’t know… I decided to sleep on it. I emailed them the next morning asking for more information. I figured it would be better to have tried to go and miss out on it than to miss out on it without trying. And I just prayed that I would go if it was God’s will – if it wasn’t, I really didn’t want to go. Less than 24 hours later, I got a reply that said I was on the waiting list. Yeah, me and the other 4000 women who emailed, I thought. I deleted the email and gave very little thought to it again (and by very little, I pretty much mean, it maybe crossed my mind once after that).

So, this past Monday morning, I got an email that says I am one of the next ones on the waiting list, would I still be interested? If so, email them back with my phone number. WOULD I STILL BE INTERESTED?! Ummmm…..YES!!! I emailed back. (I did also at this point ask for a list of where we would be going… mainly so that I could tell my parents that I did NOT in fact sign up for a trip to another country without having at least one detail). I won’t walk you through the entire afternoon, but let’s just say, I was a little on edge wondering if the people they expected to drop out really would. And a little nervous. Is it safe? God, you be in charge of this. I really want to go!! But I trust you. But I really want to go!

At 4pm I missed a call from a number I didn’t recognize. Anxiously, I waited for the voicemail to beep through… “Hi, my name is Nancy and I am just calling to see if you’d like to go to Israel… And we need your answer in the next 12 hours…” FOR REAL. Mind you, I don’t know any of these people. My mom was in my kitchen because I stole her mixer a few months ago and she needed to use it, so I walked back into the kitchen and told her what had just happened. (She didn’t know I had even sent the first email. Matter of fact, no one did!) She was like, “Call them back!” So I did… and 12 hours later my spot was confirmed!

I looked up the definitions of faithful and of sensible:

Sensible – having, using or showing good sense or sound judgment; perceptible to the mind

Faithful – steady in allegiance or affection, loyal, constant

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be faithful. I would rather live my life in such constant allegiance to the Lord that my actions are not perceptible to the mind. In Isaiah 55:9, God says, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Don’t you see? We aren’t supposed to be sensible. We are supposed to be faithful. Sensible implies a reliance on our own self, our own ways, our own thoughts. Faithful, though, that’s a different ballgame. Faithful is a reliance on our Father’s ways, a dependence upon His thoughts.

Have you been feeling God’s nudging? Don’t let sensibility hold you back. (PLEASE don’t mistake me to be advocating that you do something that doesn’t line up with Scripture… if you sense a leading to do something that counters what Scripture says, it is NOT the Lord you’re hearing!) Fall illogically in love with this faithful Friend, this omnipotent Creator, and then trust Him when He says that His ways are higher than yours. You may wake up one Monday morning and find out that you’re signed up to go to Israel!