Oh Isaiah.

For the past week I have been attempting to read through the book of Isaiah. A chapter a day kind of thing. Some days I miss one. Some days I read two.

It just sort of depends.

Well. This morning I opened my Bible to Isaiah 5, the chapter that I was going to read today.

And the title of it was "The Song of the Vineyard".

Let me repeat that.

"The. Song. of. the. Vineyard".

Now I know that some Old Testament books have some interesting titles to their chapters, but for some reason, I just could not help but laugh at this hilarious title.

I literally sat there and debated on whether to read it or not because it just sounded too funny.

I am sorry if you are not laughing with me at this very moment.

I guess it was kind of a "you had to be there" sort of thing.

Anyways.

So I did end up reading this page and a half long chapter to basically conclude that the Lord has a vineyard. It was Israel. He tried to get a good crop of grapes from it. But basically it only gave bad fruit. So he decided to destroy the whole vineyard.

Moral of the story: Israel defied the Lord. The Lord got angry. The Lord destroyed Israel.

End of story.

Yes. It was both compelling and rich. 

But, since I didn't quite love this specific chapter of Isaiah. I decided to read the next chapter as well. Isaiah Chapter 6.

Now, I usually just pick out one or two little quotes from the chapter so that I can remember it by, and this specific verse really stood out to me.

I'm sure some of you have heard it before.

Isaiah 6:8

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

And I said, "Here I am. Send me!"

I don't know about you. But I want this to be me!

I want to be able to give up everything I have at any time and just say, "Lord, HERE I AM! Send ME!"

We are so lost in this world of materials and possessions, that we forget what are real calling in life is!

God made us for this great commission! He has called us to watch and pray for this day to come.

Will we be WILLING when it does come?

Will we be excited to lay down everything that we own?

Will we be excited to give up everything that we have worked for?

Will we give up everything with a willing heart?

Or will we give up everything grudgingly and painfully?

THESE are the questions that I ask myself.

Yes. I want to give up everything to follow Jesus Christ.

Yes. I want to be called to pick up my cross ALONE and follow Him.

But how easy will it really be?

I'm sure it will be hard. 

Really hard.

But could I do it?

I know we are supposed to pick up our cross DAILY and follow Him.

But how many of us really pick up our crosses ALONE, you know?

Like I usually pick up my cross and then next to that is my phone, and my purse, and my ipod, and my money, and my clothes, and my looks, and my luxuries, and etc. etc. etc.

So am I really saying daily, "Here I am Lord! Send ME!"

Or am I saying, 

"Here I am Lord! Send *ME!"

*ME includes Rachel, her clothes, her money, her phone, her soap, her shower.....

Really?

Can I not live without these things for a day?

Or at least live without not thinking about them?

I feel like we as Americans subconsciously think about our possessions ALL of the time.

Like, I wonder who has called me recently or I hope there's enough money left in the bank for... or I can't wait to take a nice hot shower later.

These are just a FEW of the many things we as Americans take for granted.

It just really amazes me how LITTLE we can live without.

If someone doesn't have their blackberry it's like

ALERT the MEDIA! We have a SITUATION on our HANDS!

I don't know.

I just hope that when that day comes, 

and the Lord asks, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"

I can say, 

"Lord, Here I am. With nothing to offer other than my life. I don't need anything other than You. Lord, Send ME."

That is my prayer.

That is my plea.

Forever His,

Rachel