God, Are you Listening?!

When Katie was little she loved her pacifiers.  She was getting to an age where she was too big for her pacifier so I told her we needed to give them to my sister because she was having a baby and needed a pacifier.  Katie was pretty adamant that she was still a baby and was gong to stay a baby for a very long time.  Part of being a Christian is obeying God, reading his word (the Bible), praying and meditating.  Just like Katie was changing from a baby to a toddler, sometimes we become a Christian but do not want to grow up and mature as a born again Christian.  Something I hear quite often is, I am a Christian and talk to God everyday, but I am not hearing from God!  What does He want from me?  Does that mean God is not listening?  No. (1 John 5:14)  God has one of 3 answers to prayers.  Yes. No. and Not right now.   There are a couple things that keep God from answering prayers.  Sin is one of them.  (Matthew 6:12 and Ephesians 4:32) If a person is living in sin and not asking God for forgiveness, then God will not answer their prayer.  I have felt like it is a losing battle.  I mean, haven’t we all been told a million times, we are all sinners and no one is perfect so we are fighting a losing battle?  Actually, once we are saved, we are saints!  (Read more about being a saint, God’s chosen people, here:  https://www.compellingtruth.org/sinners-saints.html )  WE have the Holy Spirit inside of us, so rather than seeing ourselves as hopeless sinners, we should see ourselves as forgiven saints.  Saints sometimes mess up, but have the Holy Spirit inside of them to keep them from sinning.   Sometimes we are not listening.  I am known for talking a bit too much.  ;) I have to specifically work to actively listen.  One of the biggest obstacles that keeps us from hearing God is that we are too busy for Him.  We have too many distractions.  My CEO at Sarah Cannon always says, “Don’t step over dollars to pick up pennies.”  The same applies here.  Why would we not adjust our schedule to make time for God, focusing on so many other things, when our God has all the answers and wants to lead us?!  He always has our best interests in mind. Sometimes, God is speaking but we do not like the answer.  God has the big picture in mind.  He is not going to allow us to focus in an area, even if it seems positive, if it is not going to lead us to His path for us.  I remember years ago I applied for a job in Knoxville as a research nurse.  I was working home health at the time and the hours were literally 65-70 hours a week.  I loved the job, but God was making the situation uncomfortable so that I would move.  If he didn’t, I would have never left that job.  That is actually true for every job I have ever had.  I have loved them all.  God often does that, he makes things really uncomfortable when it is time to grow so we will pray and be open to change.  At home health, we were always short staffed and worked days and were on call nights and weekend days and nights.  I needed a job that gave me more time with my 2 year old and then new baby.  I applied for a research job and was so excited to actually be offered the job.  I accepted and celebrated with my family.   A couple days later, they called me and told me a research nurse from Vandy with a ton of experience, (I had zero research experience at the time), had just applied and they planned to offer her the job.  They apologized for offering me the job, but said they could not pass up her experience and the relationship this would give them with Vandy.  I was heartbroken, exhausted, and angry at God.  I prayed for a job that would give me more time with my family.  Didn’t God know this job was perfect?!!  How could he do this to me!  I had the perfect plan!  Did he not love me or care about me as a mother, wife and employee?! A couple weeks later the first Nurse Navigator job in Tennessee opened up at Thompson Cancer Survival Center and I got the job.  I LOVED that job.  It also gave me experience to open and lead a free standing cancer center, which led to leading a regional cancer program, which led to leading cancer program development at Sarah Cannon nationally. This includes developing and leading the largest Nurse Navigation program in the United States.  Isn’t that crazy!  God had a plan the whole time!  (Jeremiah 29:11) God gave me experience in radiation oncology, infusion centers, leading people, building teams, nurse navigation, managing accreditations, analytics and quality  program development.  I needed all of these skills to be successful in the role I am doing today!  What if I somehow fought back and took that research nurse job?  Is research nursing bad?  Heck no.  That is God’s work, but it was not my calling.  God had a different path.   I have no idea where God will take me next and I am not worried about it.  All I know and all I care is that wherever He leads me, I will follow.   I will trust God, even when everything around me does not make sense, or bad things happen to me.  I will trust God that He has a plan.   I pray for all of you.  My pastor reminded me today, remember that the power that raised Jesus from the dead, is in every Christian.  We have to die to our own desires everyday and live 100% for Him.  That is not making a sacrifice, it is living life in abundance! Have an amazing week!   Love you guys! Crystal