Sunday, September 23, 2012

Take Off Your Shoes by Francini Reis


When God called Moses He said:

“Do not come any closer,"…"Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Exodus 3:5.

How many times have you been aware of God’s plan for your life? It’s hard to understand His plan when we have our own.

In verse 11, Moses replied to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

There have been many times in my life when I have doubted, and many times when all I could do was just cry. 

Growing up, I thought I had the most perfect family until the day my dad left us – my mom, my brother (15), and I (14). My world just fell apart. He was my everything, my super hero. I would do anything to be around him. He was the most loving, caring, smart, creative, Christian dad in the whole wide world. He had promised my brother and I that he was going to be with us in every moment of our lives.  He promised that he would pay for our studies. He was going to choose the man I was going to date and marry.  He vowed he would die for us if needed. I believed it all.

Years went by after he left us, and in the midst of our life's chaos, my brother and I had to learn to do things on our own and stop depending on our father because by now we knew he would never return.

Then, we learned to be barefoot in the presence of God. In order to be successful we had to “Trust in the LORD with all (y)our heart and lean not on (y)our own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

Do you know what that means? It was the hardest thing ever. Can you imagine sleeping at night not knowing how you will be able to pay for school the next month? Thank God, He never failed.

I’ve fought God about my professional, academic, and personal life. Many times I asked God: Who am I that I should go there and do such a thing? I can’t do it! I can’t handle it! I have my limitations; can’t you understand?

We had to take off our shoes and do what God was telling us to do. We had no choice, no power, no money, no honor, no qualifications. However, He turned our fears and insecurity into blessings, he healed our pain, and He made us stronger. We had dreams, but God had real plans for us.

God took my limitations and turned them into opportunities. Nobody at their first year of college could teach math at an elementary school in Brazil, but God gave me the job. He knew I needed it, and I knew He was with me. He enabled my brother with his speech disabilities and turned him into a public speaker. He was able to preach to hundreds of people after having struggled all his life to speak to at all. I praise God for all He has done for us.

When we come into the presence of God and allow Him to use us, He can move mountains. What are your mountains?

He has great plans for you. Are you ready to be used by Him?

Then, take off your shoes!

Francini Reis

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