What is your idea of the perfect home? Perfect place to live? Perfect job? Perfect relationship?

We may have our ideas of what the perfect life looks like, the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect place…. But living day-to-day following the flow of the Spirit is ultimately so much more fulfilling and refreshing than anything we could possibly do on our own.

Throughout our lives, we have lived in many different places, in varying degrees of conditions, different lifestyles etc….. but as we reflect back, the most fulfilling times in our lives, have been when we were in places that were not comfortable, and quite often not what we had planned for ourselves. Typically at that moment, we may not have seen the bigger picture, but looking back, we can see how God moved in and through and how that event or time made an impact on our lives, our ministry and our outlook.

Living daily, often moment-by-moment going where the Spirit flows takes a conscious effort to think outside of the box. Looking beyond the situations we face at any given moment, to what God might want to teach us through what is going on in our lives. It is in this place that we find fulfillment and purpose.

When we came to Manila to serve as the Regional Communications Coordinator and wife, we never dreamed we would be a part of an out-of-the-box organic church plant at a motocross racetrack on Sunday mornings. We never dreamed that we would don the gear and get on a dirt bike and take a few lessons. But as we came alongside a young pastor who was feeling the tug of God in his heart, to leave the comfort of an associate pastor position in a large church, this is where we found ourselves.

The people we meet on a weekly basis, the lives we are fortunate to share with on a daily basis, have been a blessing to us in a way that we never could have foreseen. Stepping away from the traditional church on Sunday mornings, with the singing and the order of worship that we were used to, was not an easy decision to make. We had to look beyond our comfort and what we were familiar with, to what God had for us. The doors He was opening for us to walk through. And after a while, this has become the new normal and we love it!

We continue to see lives changed or refocused, marriages strengthened and families united. We see others putting their faith in God and not in themselves, or their circumstances. This is where the real blessings come in! As we see what God is doing in and through them, our faith is bolstered and we eagerly seek what God has for us next! We expect to hear the Holy Spirit prompt us daily; urging us to speak to someone, giving us an open door to walk through and with each encounter, our faith is strengthened.

Life is not just a bed of roses, there are a few thorns in there, but we choose to look past the thorns, to see the beauty of what God is creating. There are days when the rain is pouring and we are at the track in the mud and yuck and only a few show up and we wonder, “What in the world we are doing?” There are days where nothing seems to click and the traffic is bad and we are late and we just can’t seem to catch a break. But as we continue to focus on the Lord at the start of every day, spending time in prayer and reading the Word, we refocus on the bigger picture. We see the opportunities God places before us and the relationships He brings along that are not only for us to share with others, but to encourage us as well.

As you look at your life, where God has placed you and the skills, passions, abilities, and life experiences that God has put in your hands to serve Him, may you sense where the Spirit is flowing and follow, keeping your eyes on the Lord and daily spending time in the Word. You will be blessed and life will never again be the same!