Unchained

"Unchain My Beauty"...this was the title of my girl's breakout class this year at Youth in Action ...or was it really MY title at all? As I stood in Wal-Mart on the Thursday before this youth rally, I received a phone call from the director of the rally asking for a brief synopsis of my class on "Unchain my Beauty." "Byron, " I questioned, "Are you sure that THAT'S the title? I was sure I emailed "Unchain my Relationships" to the coordinator of the classes...not "Unchain my Beauty." Much to my surprise, it was indeed the title that they had printed on the list of breakout classes. There I stood...in the middle of an aisle at Wal-Mart flooded with panic. I'm trying to listen to the quiet voice of God and to really trust that He knows best...but to change my class at the last minute seemed unthinkable.

Sometimes, I have to laugh out loud...because I'm sure way up there...looking down on me is God who is shaking His head and saying, "I know you only think this is about you...but the picture I see is larger than you could even possibly fathom." You see, I am completely anal when it comes to speaking engagements. I prepare months and months ahead and memorize ever word...every pause...every inflection. My need for control is huge. Over this past two years, God doesn't seem to be very concerned about this comfort zone that I have neatly set around me as a safety net. As a matter of fact, lately, He seems to be really asking me to walk on a sort of tight rope out in the middle of the abyss with complete trust that He will be the one speaking...not me. Maybe that's what this title of "Unchained" is all about. If you're like me and you like the comfort of knowing what lies ahead, maybe just maybe, that's precisely why God is choosing to keep nudging us forward into the unknown. Have you ever played that game where you’re blindfolded and someone leads you through a sort of obstacle course? I confess, that as much as I know I'm supposed to just close my eyes and trust the guidance of the guider...I tend to rely on that tiny crack in the blindfold at the bottom where it doesn't quite lay flat on your face to give me just enough vision to guide myself. Maybe that's what I've done with God. Maybe God has been trying to show me that the truth is, I have kept myself chained to...well, me...and my need for control. I have been so guilty of relying on myself that somewhere I forgot that God really does want to fully unchain me so that others will see a new dance...a dance of freedom. Imagine what that must look like to others. It doesn't make sense...but I'm reminded of the verse that says, "For we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God...and not from us." God could have made us with these minds that always know just what to do at any given moment. He could have given us the ability to know just the right things to say in order to reach a crowd. Maybe God just wanted us to realize that he could have made us this way, but then, who would ever believe in a higher power if not for the fact that God chose to use such a feeble person as me...as you...to be His mouthpiece?

As I looked into the faces of the girls in those breakout classes, I realized something. As much as I had a plan about what I thought these girls needed to hear about relationships...the Creator, the Master Crafter...knew His creation so well that He knew that tears would flow from even the prom queen and the head cheerleader when He reminded them that He calls them His daughter. He knew that the possibility of "dancing on daddy's feet," would cause the girl who barely lifts her head to look you square in the eye to sit up straight and take notice. He knew that these words from the song "The Real Me" would speak to the heart of every woman and girl there who longs to be called, "beautiful."

I am realizing more and more how much God longs for us to just let go and let Him lead us...without peeking. I can see the plans that He has for me to be more than I ever hoped or imagined in His kingdom. My prayer is for God to present to me more opportunities to trust him and to see first-hand the power of the Almighty. I long to be used by God to make an impact in this world...maybe God's just waiting for me to let Him decide how.