A Riddle

I have a riddle for you:  "When does a couch become an anchor?"

Before I give you the answer, I want to share a little background and then a conversation that I recently had with my daughter, Elizabeth. 

The summer before Elizabeth's senior year of college, she went overseas to serve in an orphanage in Ukraine.  It was during those hot summer days, surrounded by so many broken and abandoned children, that God laid claim to her heart and she has never been able to forget the poor and hurting of this world.

In the months and years that have followed, Elizabeth has tried different paths for her life. But it seems that whenever she begins to settle into the "expected" path of a job, home, family etc. God steps in and reminds her of another path; a path that He seems to have chosen for her.   A path that is more costly and possibly painful yet one that leads to peace.  

As recent newlyweds, she and her husband, Joel, moved to southern California in May.  This move hasn't come without some emotional struggles for Elizabeth.  Leaving behind family and friends hasn't been easy. It's been difficult to feel settled. 

Okay, enough with the background.  Now, on to the conversation.

Several days ago, I was talking with Elizabeth on the phone, and she told me that for some reason, ever since she and Joel moved into their little apartment, it had become really important to her to have a couch.  Their apartment is furnished with the few belongings they were able to pack into a small moving unit and some purchases from their favorite local Ikea store.  But she felt that if only she could have a couch, she would feel more settled. A couch had come to represent a home and a future.

Yet, Elizabeth said that when she and Joel talk about what their future might hold, there is always the possibility of them being called to serve the Lord overseas again, or perhaps in a poor area of the United States. So, while having a couch might help her feel settled, it could also be...you guessed it...an anchor.   An anchor that would, at least symbolically, hold them back from feeling free to go where God might be calling them.

It was with tears that Elizabeth explained how she had given up her desire for a couch so she could have the freedom to do what God calls them to do.  And in that decision, she found peace.

Now, for the really cool part!  Right after releasing her desire for a couch, Elizabeth got a phone call from her friend, Karen.  It seems that Karen is going to be moving into a house to live with a family for a couple of years and is putting her furniture in storage. And she wanted to know if Elizabeth and Joel might want to use...her couch for a couple of years!! Don't tell me that our God doesn't love to pour out good things on His children!

So here's the question I'll leave with you (and with me).  What is the "anchor" in your life that is keeping you from wholeheartedly saying "Yes!" to whatever God is asking of you?  He can be trusted with it, for He longs to give us good things.