As we touched back down at Manchester airport last week after an amazing Amsterdam #escapeandpray adventure, me and my team couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Ah, sweet pounds and polite Englishmen. Finally, we can buy ourselves a coffee if we want one, we can look at people as simple passers-by rather than potential key-parts of our adventure, working out how we might best share the vision with them. We can go home to a guaranteed bed and eat to our heart's content.
Once again, we can secure our own situations, think first about ourselves and ensure we have everything we need. We do not have to be part of a greater cause, we do not have to invite strangers along to be part of the journey, and we do not have to rely on a mysterious higher power whose ways we do not understand for our next meal. Phew.
Oh no, wait.
A lot of this adventure is actually the life God invites us to lead… awkwardly, uncomfortably, excitingly…
Instead of closing our hands around the money we have, convinced we need it to be sure we will be comfortable and happy – we can give it first to God and see how he wants to use it and multiply it.
Instead of holding our time close to our chest, thinking about what we can get out of it and how we can have fun – we can give it first to God and see how much He can do through us.
Instead of holding tight to our own story and our own perspective, afraid to bother people or make a scene – we can give this first to God, let ourselves be part of His far bigger story and see how the people around us might be too.
Instead of clinging to our own plans and ideas, desperate to be productive and safe in all that happens next – we can first seek God and give Him space to act and direct us to far bigger things.
Instead of clutching at our own energy, worrying about what may lie ahead – we can first give it to God and let Him draw close with all the strength and energy we need.
We are always part of a bigger story, whether one in Europe or in our own university or home towns. We still have a God of unlimited resources, who is always at work, who always wants to show us more of His power, always wants to guide us and use us to see more of His kingdom on earth.
All we have to do to live in this glorious, challenging adventure everyday, is to open our hands. We do not need any of the limited resources we hold in our hands, for we can give from the endless abundance of our Father God's resources. When we open our hands and give Him what we have, the blessing cycle never ends, and we can always be drawn into His story - this escape and pray adventure that is never over.
WARNING: The more you let God work through you, the more He will work in you. This can be messy!!
