Reason #857
I like results. I like knowing the outcome before I begin any endeavor. The truth is, I usually don't start something unless I have a good idea of how it is going to end. And, if I don't know how it is going to end, then I don't tell anyone about it until it is over. That way, if I end up failing, getting rejected, or it simply doesn't work out, no one knows.
When Aaron and I started dating, I kept it quiet. I had no idea if it was going to go anywhere, and so I didn't want anyone to know about it until I was certain that it was going to be something serious. I decided I wouldn't tell anyone unless they just needed to know, and I was not going to publicize it on Facebook. That sends a whole new message, and I didn't want people to ask me questions about him if it wasn't going to work out. And so I kept it in my inner-circle, made people promise not to say anything about it until I was ready, and thankfully, it all worked out as I was hoping it would.
After a few months of dating, we realized this was going somewhere and it was going quickly. We talked about marriage, but I didn't dare say anything to anyone about it except my mom. I made her promise not to mention a word of this to anyone else because I realized that Aaron did have the option to end things with me at any time. After we were certain that we were going to get married, I still kept quiet. My friends started asking more questions and I'd just smile and say, "I don't know." I refused to breathe a word of it to anyone aside from my mom because even though I was 99.9% sure it was going to happen, there was that slight chance that it might not. Another girl might come alone. Aaron might get tired of me. He was allowed to change his mind, and until there was a ring on my finger no one would ever know we discussed marriage. That way, if the end result didn't go as planned, I would be the only person who would know.
“Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them." - Ezekiel 2:3-5
Sometimes we just don't know the outcome. We have no idea what the results will be, and in fact, sometimes they don't look very promising. God called Ezekiel to go talk to Israel and He let him know upfront that they probably wouldn't listen to him. And maybe, like me, you think, "Well then why even bother? If it isn't going to work, then what is the point of trying?" But God never said it wouldn't work, either. Whether they listened, whether they didn't listen, that's not what mattered. What mattered was that Ezekiel faithfully carried out the calling God had given Him. God wasn't holding Ezekiel responsible for the outcome. God wasn't going to judge Ezekiel based on the results of the message. All God asked Him to do was to go and faithfully carry out this calling.
Sometimes God calls us into situations in which the outcome is undeterminable. Sometimes the results are unclear and we aren't certain of how things will go. That's okay. God is more concerned about our obedience to carry out the calling than the results that may come. There is purpose in all things, even when they don't turn our as we expected. It may be that God uses them to bring us closer to Him, it may be that He is teaching and refining us, or it may be a testimony to those who are watching us walk through it. The outcome isn't His main concern. It's about your faithfulness. It's about your willingness to trust God even when you aren't certain, even when things seem a little scary or hard. And it's about stepping out in faith, trusting Him, and allowing Him to use you no matter what.
#857 - Because our obedience and faithfulness is more pleasing to Him than the result.
“What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." - 1 Samuel 15:22
When Aaron and I started dating, I kept it quiet. I had no idea if it was going to go anywhere, and so I didn't want anyone to know about it until I was certain that it was going to be something serious. I decided I wouldn't tell anyone unless they just needed to know, and I was not going to publicize it on Facebook. That sends a whole new message, and I didn't want people to ask me questions about him if it wasn't going to work out. And so I kept it in my inner-circle, made people promise not to say anything about it until I was ready, and thankfully, it all worked out as I was hoping it would.
After a few months of dating, we realized this was going somewhere and it was going quickly. We talked about marriage, but I didn't dare say anything to anyone about it except my mom. I made her promise not to mention a word of this to anyone else because I realized that Aaron did have the option to end things with me at any time. After we were certain that we were going to get married, I still kept quiet. My friends started asking more questions and I'd just smile and say, "I don't know." I refused to breathe a word of it to anyone aside from my mom because even though I was 99.9% sure it was going to happen, there was that slight chance that it might not. Another girl might come alone. Aaron might get tired of me. He was allowed to change his mind, and until there was a ring on my finger no one would ever know we discussed marriage. That way, if the end result didn't go as planned, I would be the only person who would know.
“Son of man,” he said, “I am sending you to the nation of Israel, a rebellious nation that has rebelled against me. They and their ancestors have been rebelling against me to this very day. They are a stubborn and hard-hearted people. But I am sending you to say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for remember, they are rebels—at least they will know they have had a prophet among them." - Ezekiel 2:3-5
Sometimes we just don't know the outcome. We have no idea what the results will be, and in fact, sometimes they don't look very promising. God called Ezekiel to go talk to Israel and He let him know upfront that they probably wouldn't listen to him. And maybe, like me, you think, "Well then why even bother? If it isn't going to work, then what is the point of trying?" But God never said it wouldn't work, either. Whether they listened, whether they didn't listen, that's not what mattered. What mattered was that Ezekiel faithfully carried out the calling God had given Him. God wasn't holding Ezekiel responsible for the outcome. God wasn't going to judge Ezekiel based on the results of the message. All God asked Him to do was to go and faithfully carry out this calling.
Sometimes God calls us into situations in which the outcome is undeterminable. Sometimes the results are unclear and we aren't certain of how things will go. That's okay. God is more concerned about our obedience to carry out the calling than the results that may come. There is purpose in all things, even when they don't turn our as we expected. It may be that God uses them to bring us closer to Him, it may be that He is teaching and refining us, or it may be a testimony to those who are watching us walk through it. The outcome isn't His main concern. It's about your faithfulness. It's about your willingness to trust God even when you aren't certain, even when things seem a little scary or hard. And it's about stepping out in faith, trusting Him, and allowing Him to use you no matter what.
#857 - Because our obedience and faithfulness is more pleasing to Him than the result.
“What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams." - 1 Samuel 15:22