Go Beyond…

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Beyond…

When I first sensed this was my word for the year I thought it was quite a curious word and was not at all sure how it might apply to my life.  Last year, the word “abide” instantly resonated with me and though I never fully comprehend the fullness of what God speaks into my life at the moment He speaks it, I knew immediately several implications the word might have for me and the lessons it might hold.  With the word “beyond”, though I knew it was significant and it had a mysterious deepness to it, I was a bit baffled by its obscure complexity.

Go…

It wasn’t long before the obscurity began to fade and a little clarity came upon the scene.  Each January our pastor brings a word to our church from the heart of God for our congregation for that year.  This year the heart of God for our local body was wrapped up in one two letter word – Go.  Such a small word.  Such large parameters.

For those of us brought up in church when we hear the word, “Go”, our minds immediately drift to the great commission, or at least mine did.  ^{18 “}And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” ‘  Matthew 28:18-20 NASB (emphasis mine).

Our pastor elaborated on what “Go”meant for our church beyond the obvious great commission reference.  Reminding us again that when God speaks it is usually a multifaceted message we may not completely grasp from the onset.

Go Beyond…

In the days to come I would see this once again in my life.  As God is known to do, He did a new thing in my life.  He put the two seemingly unrelated words together.  I began to hear whispers of, “Go beyond…” in different areas of my life.  In my quiet time, as I worked around the house, as I pondered a new project, at each turn I would hear, “Go beyond..”

“Go beyond your fears.”
“Go beyond your reality.”
“Go beyond the mundane.”
“Go beyond yourself.”

To “Go beyond”, it is a challenge that will likely follow me the rest of my life.  It is a challenge I want to share with you.  What is it that you need to “Go beyond?”

• Expectations?
• Boundaries?
• Situation?
• Finances?
• Depression?
• Limitations?
• What you know?
• How you feel?
• The ordinary?
• The rut?
• The known path?
• The grief?
• The pain?
• The memories?
• The obvious?

Listen for His voice as He gently leads you to “Go Beyond…”  As you listen, please encourage others by sharing in the comments below where He is leading you to “Go beyond…”  Share what you hear, your struggles and your triumphs.  I, and others, look forward to hearing about your journey.

© Machelle Baker July 10, 2015

Machelle Baker (22 Posts)

Machelle is a native Texan who values liberty. She has homeschooled six of her children at some point during their educational experience. She continues to home educate the youngest two. One way she expresses her passion for helping others is as a Crisis Chaplain. Some of the disasters to which she has deployed and ministered at are: the Bastrop, TX wildfire (2011), the West, TX plant explosion (2013), the Moore, OK F5 tornado (2013), and the Central Texas flood (October 2013), the Memorial Day Blanco River flood (2015), Hurricane Harvey (2017), the Sutherland Springs church shooting (2017), and most recently the El Paso Wal-Mart shooting (2019). She also currently serves a Regional Deputy Commander for the International Fellowship of Chaplains.