I am not a fan of the status quo. Although the Bible says that “godliness with contentment is great gain,”[i] I refuse to see these words as an excuse not to pursue God’s plan for our lives. Dr. Charles Stanley agreed in his book How to Reach Your Full Potential for God when he said this about mediocre living: “If a person becomes content with what is average, minimally acceptable, or satisfactory, she will rarely exert the effort or work toward something that is truly excellent or outstanding.”[ii]

We all know people who've settled for a good life at the expense of having a great one. Perhaps it was a fear of becoming one of them that left me feeling restless at the beginning of 2010. My monthly newsletter was in its fifth year of publication, and I was ready for a new challenge. Although I wasn’t looking forward to the effort that another project would entail, it didn't seem right to encourage readers to step outside their comfort zone and do something to improve their lives, if I allowed mine to stall to a standstill.

Experience has taught me that it's not enough to say we’re ready for a change. We have to act like it by stepping out in faith and trusting God to lead us in the right direction. My first step was actually the click of a mouse as I opened my internet browser and researched advanced degrees from Christian colleges in the area. I was excited to learn that Wheaton College offered a Master of Arts degree in Spiritual Formation and Christian Ministry—Then I saw the price tag for the two-year program and realized that it would be hard to justify the expense after quitting a paying job to oversee my ministry for free. I was also concerned about the time commitment a degree would demand and how much it would take away from my writing.

Uncertain of what to do next, I turned to my husband for advice. When Bill heard about my plan to pursue a degree in theology, he challenged it with this question: “How will that help you to accomplish anything you’re not already doing?”

Bill's assessment of the situation reminded me of something I read just weeks before when Dr. Stanley reached a similar conclusion: “A challenge from the Lord is not only for your good but also for the advancement, healing, and fulfillment of His plan in the lives of others. If an opportunity is only for you or your immediate family, it very likely is not from God.”[iii]

Dr. Stanley was right: I couldn't feed my desire for higher learning if it caused my readers to go spiritually hungry. Although I loved the idea of learning in a classroom full of students (instead of alone in front of my computer), I was unwilling to face the negative consequences that come from pushing forward when circumstances don't allow.

If God doesn’t bless the plan, we shouldn't count on Him for a positive outcome. The prophet Isaiah was clear when he presented the Israelites with this Old Testament warning: “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;”[v]

Knowing that a Master of Arts degree was off the table, I again found myself wondering what God wanted me to do next with my purpose-driven life. The answer came to me in the form of a question that seemed both logical and ludicrous at the same time: What if I created a podcast based on my monthly newsletter?

It seemed like an ideal way to reach a new audience while remaining faithful to my existing one. Dr. Stanley agreed on page 207 of his book when he wrote: “God always gives us opportunities that challenge who we are already and that are designed to move us to a new level of what we are already doing.” I definitely felt challenged (even overwhelmed) by the thought of creating a podcast. Unsure of where to begin, I again turned to Bill for advice.

Without realizing it, I was conducting a modern-day version of the fleece test that Gideon performed in Judges 6 when he looked for assurance that God would be with him if he agreed to do battle with the Midianites. “I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor.” Gideon said. “If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.”[vi]

God did as Gideon asked, making the fleece so wet with dew that, when wrung out, it filled an entire bowl with water.[vii] I  wondered if God would do the same when I said: “I'm thinking about making an audio version of my newsletter that can be downloaded through iTunes.”

Part of me wanted Bill to dismiss the daunting task as another one of my crazy ideas. Instead, it raced to the top of my To Do list when his offered this reply: “A podcast on iTunes would be kind of cool.”

I read once that if God brings us to it, He'll see us through it. For the next six weeks, I leaned on this promise almost daily as I searched for a recording studio, transferred my online ministry to a podcast-friendly web hosting solution, and worked through the myriad of technical issues to create a file that allows people to subscribe to my program.

All the work was worth it when Time Out for Digging Out appeared in iTunes. It serves as an audible reminder of what can be accomplished when we stop settling and start living up to our full potential. The saying is true: Without effort even the greatest of ideas goes nowhere so let's quit beating our fists against doors that are closed and look instead for an open one where God will be waiting with a cool idea and a step-by-step plan to walk us through.