There are a lot of things in the world that we can get almost immediately. Life can sometimes feel like we are holding a magic wand and as soon as we wave it, our wish has been granted. We surf the internet and can see the latest news. We log on to social media and can see everything that our friends are up to.
We can even click on our favourite shop and immediately buy the latest fad. All of this can happen before we've even got out of bed in the morning.
A lot of things in the world come quickly, a lot of what we have to do or can do feel so immediate. We as people are often 'go go go'. From jumping in our cars to getting our morning take away coffee, our lives can feel busy and instant from the moment our alarm goes off. This isn't necessarily a bad thing because the world and our lifestyles have adapted to this mentality.
Time goes by...
On the other hand, when it comes to the thing we really want, whether or not we've even identified it, it doesn't seem to happen quite as quickly. That thing is freedom. Although we are living in a very fast-paced world, it is difficult for us to rest and wait to hear that still voice. Don't get me wrong, God can and wants to speak immediately but often when we are caught up in the business of life, we treat our relationship with God in the same way. Thus leading to us wanting the relationship with God or the freedom in our lives without actually spending as much time with the One who wants to give us these things.
We often find the journey with Him challenging because we want to immediately arrive at our destination. Why would we not want that? After all that is what the world is telling us.
Growing up in a family that knew about God I was familiar with church, but didn't know or understand Him as a personal, relational God. Until my mid-teens I thought of Him as a faraway God that only created the world; relationship was a foreign concept. Now being in my early twenties, I am getting to know the creator as a relational and personal God, who wants us to walk towards greater things. He is a God that actually gets jealous for our attention and desires us to walk out in the freedom that He has on offer.
This relationship and freedom is a gift that He has given to us. Think about the last gift you were really excited about receiving or the last thing you were excited about happening. Whether it was having a romantic dinner out with your partner or that toy you couldn't wait to open when you were a child. Do you remember that feeling? You were probably so excited to receive that thing, and the wait was worth it, right? If we think about freedom or our relationship with God like this, then we can understand that it is a gift that has been given to us.
In the wait and expectancy of receiving that present, or of that romantic dinner, you probably couldn't do anything but get excited. Well, as a challenge, let's change our mind-sets to be one that waits with expectancy and excitement for freedom, rather than demanding God to give us whatever we want, whenever we want it. That, in itself, can bring more freedom.
Likewise to the adventures that we are seeking for in the world, God wants us to go on an adventure with Him. He wants us to be excited and expectant for the process or the journey as well as where we'll end up, be it eventually or immediately. There is so much that we can learn when we are in the process of adventuring into freedom.
Freedom vs Control
Freedom can be described as "the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved." Every single person wants to have freedom in their lives, but why do we so desperately want to be the ones who remain in the driver's seat? We want to hold on to the steering wheel and direct where we are going. But just like a car if we don't put our foot on the break, eventually we are going to end up hurting ourselves or someone else. Whether it's crashing in to another car or crashing in to a brick wall, someone is going to end up hurt.
This is similar to our relationship with God. When we are trying to control situations around us, we are no longer letting God be the one in the drivers seat.
Let me propose two of the possible reasons why we, as humans, want to be the ones who remain in control. Maybe we have a fear of the unknown and stepping into something which we do not have control over. Or perhaps we have a fear of what freedom really means. It makes sense that if we don't know what the future is going to look like that we wouldn't want to let go of it. It seems that if we hold on to something, then we feel that we can control the outcome.
But... this is a choice we have to make. Are we going to trust God and walk in to the unknown with Him, where we are welcome to step in to that freedom? Or are we going to hold on to areas of our lives so that we can remain in control? When we do this we are possibly being enslaved to what we think is true and how we think our lives should be lived. We were designed for relationship, to need and to give help. This includes being dependent on the One who gave this to us.
Even though at current, in 2014, we can get almost everything we want pretty quickly. Are we going to seek God and be patient in waiting for Him to release us into something greater, or even lead us into the next season in our lives? Are we going to stop and continue to seek God, even when it feels like a slow, waiting game -and everything around us seems to be moving quickly?
I've often been one to question God. Well, I am definitely one who has a lot of questions, and it's not unusual for me to ask God these. But rather than continually just asking God these questions where I have absolutely no control over the answer, I have decided to wait on God's incredible and purposeful timing.
Honestly it's a battle of reminding myself every time I want an immediate response. But it's worth it. In the meantime, I get myself excited for the journey and take steps towards freedom in each area of my life; stepping into the identity and relationship with Him that He designed for me. I invite you to do the same.
Rebecca Bowie is a young Christian who is intentionally seeking after Gods heart and striving to love people with everything. Now living in Brisbane Australia, was formerly living in London, England. She's a full-time volunteer at Youth with a Mission.
Rebecca Bowie's previous articles may be viewed at http://www.pressserviceinternational.org/becki-bowie.html