When I interviewed my nephew for my Theology Capstone on Why People of Genuine Faith are Leaving the Organized Church, he said something that summarized a flavor of what others said in various ways during my field research -- only, he said it in a raw way that made me feel safe admitting, “oh gosh, I’ve felt that way too.”

I’m paraphrasing here:

“You want to know why I left the organized church Auntie Kathy? I started to feel like I wasn’t a ‘real’ Christian if I didn’t do something huge like cure cancer or save an orphan.”

Whether you’ve been a part of the organized church or not, I’ll bet you can relate in some way to this very authentic confession. How many times have you felt a little nudge to do something good or pure or true or kind or loving or helpful or caring or hard-but-holy and stopped yourself and thought:

“What difference will that make?”

“There are religious people trained to do that.”

“I’m too broken. I need to fix myself first.”

“There are organizations dedicated to that.”

“I’m not like _____ [insert the name of someone who seems to respond easily or frequently to nudges from above]. This is just natural or easy for them.”

“I’m not an extrovert like she is.”

“I don’t have the talent he has.”

Or,

“That’s just none of my business.”

But here’s the deal. If God is nudging us personally to respond, who are we to say no? Who are we to say that our response is too tiny to count in His grand plan? We have no idea how He intends to use our response. None. Who are we?

God tells us that we are the clay, and He’s the potter. He made us. He’s molding us. Shaping us. Nudging us toward Him. Transforming us as we live lives ridiculously responsive to his tugs and pulls. He knows what He’s doing with our one ridiculous life. He’s drawing us to Him all the time. Revealing Himself to us and the world.

So, the ridiculous hour mission this month is quite simple. You’ll find a string of five colorful dots in your mission pack. Spend some quiet time with God. Ask Him, “How are you prompting me Lord? Calling me? Tugging me?” Tell Him, “When I sense that it is You, I’ll write it down on one of these circles.”

The nudge may seem small to you.  Write it down anyway.

“Call the man who recently lost his wife…”

Write it down.

“Forgive your sister…”

                        Write it down on one of those circles.

“Stop isolating…”

Write it down.

“Address that issue that you’ve been avoiding…”

Whatever it is, tiny or gigantic, write it down. You may not do it right away. But don’t ignore it. Set the tone for 2020. The tone of response.  Response to the One who made you.

Put these circles in a place where you can’t ignore them.  Hang them by your computer. Dangle them from your rearview mirror. Look at them when you brush your teeth.  If He’s prompting you, pay attention. Ask Him to help you respond. Ask Him to help you take a step in the direction of His call. Ask for confirmation that it’s really Him.  If it’s Him, it will be consistent with His holy word.  If it’s Him, it will be for good and not for harm.  If you have any doubt, go to your Pastor, your small group, a Godly friend and sort.  Go slow.  But don’t ignore it.

And when you’ve responded, keep that circle as a reminder. He’s intimately involved in your purpose, your passions, your present. He’s the lover of your soul. Let Him love you toward Him! And others through you.

Now, if you haven’t signed up to receive our monthly mission packs, you aren’t holding those dots you see pictured here.  If you are hearing the audio version of this month’s mission, you can’t see or feel those bright colorful dots. Imagine several two-inch-round, bright colorful dots attached to one another by a thin thread.  If you hold one end of the thread in front of your eyes, you see them dangling down in a line, spaced about two inches apart, twirling in the breeze.

But why are the dots connected, you may wonder? Does that mean all of the nudges we receive from God are connected?  Don’t the things we feel Him prompting us to do seem separate or disconnected? 

We’ll, think about this. Often we don’t respond to a prompting from the Lord because we can’t imagine how that response will make any difference in one person’s life or in our own life.  But God isn’t just prompting you.  He’s prompting others and working in every aspect of the situation and in every heart.  He is the thread that knits all those seemingly random tugs together.  He sees the big colorful tapestry.  He connects the dots in our lives and the lives of others.  God sees how He’s working it all together for the good.  He asks us to trust that if He’s nudging us toward His call, He’s using it for the good.    

Would you like your own set of dots?  We’d be delighted to send you a set.  Simply email us at [email protected] or use the contact link on our website –  www.theridiculoushour.com/contact.  Would you like to share your story of how God prompted you to move in His direction.  We’d love to hear it!   https://theridiculoushour.com/respond-to-the-nudge/#shcybdjlhhlfynngcuvafllazgcsxiexeewk or email at [email protected].

Now go be ridiculous -- ridiculously responsive to the promptings of God.  Whether you are reading this in January or June, it’s never too late to start with God.  He’s knocking.  Open the door of your heart.