You Call Me Out

"You call me out upon the waters"

The waters. Sometimes still. Sometimes raging. Sometimes gushing at you. Sometimes taking you under. Sometimes refreshing. Other times, offering warmth. Sometimes menacing. Other times, meek. Rivers. Oceans. Lakes and puddles. Showers. Downpours. A sprinkle. A drizzle. A splash. A glass. Ah, the waters.

At the beginning of the year, I, along with a few hundred other people, sang Hillsong's famous Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) while we all rang in the new year with our church, Faithful Central Bible Church. For the next 31 days, I want to remind myself of what I sang and declared on Jan 1, 2015, verse by verse. As I reflect, God will encourage me, challenge me into new things, push me forward and remind me of His faithfulness because whether we see it or not, many of us have LAUNCHED and what we sang at the top of the year has come to pass. As we move into another calendar year and continue on this journey, we'll find that God will continue to call us out. 

"You call me out..." 

God beckons to me, come. Take the first step or the next step, but nevertheless, come. There is change there. There is forward movement. There is a leaving behind of something, someone, or some place as I go forward.

I must remember who is telling me to come - GOD. That means my perception of who God is (to me) cannot be skewed otherwise it may impede my movement.

Once I've decided and have committed to taking that step, then I start to focus on what I am taking a step into. It looks threatening, those waters? Those waters right there? But I don't have a lifesaver, I feel alone, no security blanket or do I have some security? Again who is God? Who is God to me? There's a huge wave coming, it'll surely take me under. It's too cold to walk on water today, God.

My focus has become about the waters and its grandiosity and not about my God and his sovereignty.

My God, what a revelation. That you would call little ol' me into an adventure with you. That you wouldn't let me settle for a life that's beneath how you have created me to live on this earth. That you would beckon lovingly and push me with encouragement when I'd much rather stay on shore. That you would call me by name and not see me as just a woman, or just a girl from the Bronx, or just a Dominican who is obsessed with Starbucks coffee but will never forget her Bustelo. You don't see any of that. You see ME. Your daughter. You see a crown. You see Proverbs 31. You see righteousness, thank you Jesus. You see my heart, the good and the bad thoughts. You see my motives. You see me. Yet, when you call me out upon the waters, what do I see? Who do I see?

You call me - and that brings me comfort. It's continual, it's gradual, it's progressive, it's unchanging, it's eternal, it's constant. It's YOU. So whether you're calling me deeper, higher, strengthening me, teaching me, correcting me, loving me, your call is enough. Deep waters or shallow waters - your call is enough bc it was never about the waters or the where-to-next, it's about YOU, God.

May we all walk into the great unknown where feet may fail but faith prevails.

Glory to God.