coming back

"Gideon replied, 'If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.' And the LORD said, 'I will wait until you return.'"
- Judges 6:17-18

I heard this at Sunday's sermon (faith // part 2: future) at church, and I was reminded of something a while back.

Back in high school, there was a point and a day when I accepted Christ. It wasn't one of those Chia Pet-esque instant sprouting moments, and there's been long and painstaking growth in my life since then.

People would always tell me (and it was also written in the Psalty's Kids Bible I read when I was younger) that you're never too young to be serving God. Like Timothy - don't let people look down on you cause you're younger. And that statement seemed applicable because I've always been young, in every context, in every place I've been.

I remember saying to myself at the time, "God, I'll serve You when I get to college." I was way too lazy and it seemed too much of a sacrifice to give up video games and soccer for God at the time. I also saw my sister and how much she was enjoying her Christian fellowship at college, and every time I got to go visit her, I saw glimpses of that. And I think when I got to college that's what I was looking for - real community. So I thought, college is a good time to start serving God.

Well, I forgot about that for a couple years. But now, here I am, and I'm learning so much that it's ridiculous. The place I'm in, the decision to come to Michigan, the seeming coincidence at ending up at this specific church, it's all too much for me. It's as if God was saying:

Chris, go do your thing for a while and get your priorities in order. Then come back. I will wait until you return.

I'm slowly bringing my offering back and setting it before Him. And He's been waiting there the whole time.