You Are Here.

Sunday night.
Exhausted, lonely, & despondent, I reluctantly dragged myself off the couch in order to get ready for church. I grumbled to myself as I got dressed. I didn't want to go. Not because I disliked church or because I had other plans, but because I just wasn't feeling it.
I was tired from an emotionally charged day, my shoulder was spasming, and lying on the couch with Amazon Prime's endless supply of movies just seemed so appealing.
But something got me up. Something got me to my car. And something kept me going down the freeway. That something was knowing that my girl Bianca Olthoff was going to be speaking. And when Bianca brings it, SHE BRINGS IT. I knew it was gonna be good and I had a distinct feeling that her words were going to help me get out of the church-funk I'd been in for a few months.
I love Bianca because she has this amazing way of speaking to the ghetto girl inside me. She snaps her fingers, she gets in your face, she calls you out... but most of all she is extremely gifted in speaking to the heart of the matter.
The current series at Mariners is called "Christian?" and it's addressing the labels, the misconceptions, the expectations, and everything else that comes along with being a Follower of Christ. Last week's message was great! Challenging, encouraging, and spot on, so I was eager to see what this week's message brought.
Needless to say, it didn't disappoint. Just like last week, I found myself nodding along, engaging in Bianca's message about being the salt and the light, even shouting out an "Amen" or two.
But the thing I got most out of tonight, the thing that struck me and stuck with me were these words from Bianca: "God strategically put you where you are. Where you are is where God wants you to be."
Oh yes, once again, my faithful Father has heard my cry. He's listened to my disenchanted heart and has seen how close I am to leaving my church behind in search of something different, something "better." He's seen the struggle I've had with the pain and the purpose of my walk and my journey at Mariners and tonight He communicated to me, through Bianca, that He's not finished. That I'm not finished.
I honestly can't remember in what context Bianca said those words. I'm sure there was some deeper meaning behind them, but what I got was that God has more work for me to do at Mariners. He has more people for me to meet, more of my story to tell, and He wants me to continue walking out my journey amongst this community.
So, at Mariners I stay. And knowing that decision is God's and not mine has given me great peace. I just love it when He works like this... when He sees my struggle and responds quickly. It solidifies the knowledge that He works out all things for my good, because I love Him, I trust Him, and because I believe.