Sorry folks, life has been busy and I just slacked off. I will try to not let that happen again. But, I have def missed you and glad to be back. :) So, lets push through the awkward reconnection after months of disconnect and just get to the point of this blog entry. No need to dwell on the distance that may have been created over the last few months between us...we're cool, right? Good. Thats what I thought. :)
I was reading a book the other day that shakes me to the core, gives me hope for the future, best romance story by far (Takes the WIN from The Notebook by a long shot), makes me a better person, great mirror to use to see your true reflection, exciting, both incredibly deep, but built upon its simplicity....The Holy Bible. :)
Philippians 1: 3-6 reads:
I thank my God ever time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you. I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
I appreciate Paul's heart of thankfulness and appreciation for the ones he loves. I would venture to say, Paul was probably a really good friend. I like good friends. :)
I wish I could take each one of you reading this out to grab a Venti, Light ice, 7 pump, Chai or an Iced Grande, caramel, machiatto, extra drizzle OR whatever your signature drink at Starbucks is....sorry, this girl DONT run on Dunkin....anyways, wish we could all sit down and talk about what the most recent season of life has looked like for you. The last three years of my life have been incredibly intense! There has been an great amount of sacrifice that God has asked of me and there has also been a lot of bliss that has come along with that. That is all for another blog someday. (My feeble attempt to keep you coming back to my blog) :)
Recently, I have been evaluating my life and "calling" a ton! A lot of these "evaluations"have taken place in traffic while racing to make it to the next event or commitment...the last few months have definitely been a exciting blur! I've been thinking about my age and current job position. I've been thinking a lot about dreams INSIDE my heart and wondering when that blood pumping, capsulation will release them into reality. I've been wondering if I am doing ALL that God has for me and not just getting lost in the busyness of ministry and my young adult life. I've questioned if I have even scratched the surface of all God has for me. I've asked God to show me if I have "boxed" His plans in due to lack of time spent with Him or by assuming His plan for me has to look like something I've seen before. I've had a lot of questions & honestly haven't received a lot of answers.
It's like, I find myself DOING a ton! Our youth ministry (Passion Student Ministries of Atlanta City Church) has had an ridiculously busy summer! I was so pumped to do all we did with our students! But, about half way through their summer I found myself just checking things off the list and planning on the next event. I am NOT saying I was simply going through the motions, but with doing ministry, another job & factoring in friend time, I found that I wasn't making time to really processes where or what God was wanting to do IN me. I had this scary moment a few days ago where it dawned on me that the summer is over and those 3 months flew by faster than any other measure of time I have ever lived. What scared me was that I thought to myself, "that's how people get 30 years down the road and wonder why they never fulfilled their dreams".
Fortunately for me, the last 3 months of my life were spent doing things that I am passionate about. I adore being in youth ministry! But, I also have to keep looking forward and planning for what is next (whatever that is). Being the Director of Passion Students is amazing, but I know it is not the fullness of what I am called to. So....how do we get to where we are meant to be? Or maybe for you...you're still at the Mapquest site trying to figure out what address to plug into the "destination".
Lets hone in on vs 6: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Jesus started the good work IN us. He had your purpose planned out from the beginning of time. The work came alive when you first believed in Him. We were chosen. He has the plan & blueprints.
My fave part of this verse is: (He) will CARRY if on to completion...
Jesus will carry ____it___. (You can fill in the blank there... job, passions, healing, hang ups, unanswered questions, both positive & negative elements of life, calling, etc)
Its not our weight to hold. He holds it, we follow His lead.
Our job is to accept Gods plan for our life. That starts with salvation and flows into the gifts He has through salvation and then goes into your calling.
I don't have some HUGE revelation to drop on you. Actually, its quite simple....let Him carry your weight. If you feel heavy and discouraged, its probably because you are carrying something that you weren't intended to carry. If we are so focused on the "what ifs & how will this work out" than we take the focus off of just simply following His lead and we put the responsibility back into our own hands. He started the work and I am here to remind you that God is a finisher. It says in the word that "his joy shall be our strength". This verse can be used in so many different areas of our life. Let it remind you today that though the road is not always easy and things don't always make sense, let His joy of following Him be your strength. The strength you will need to keep pressing in when you don't know what to do next, the strength you will need to simply keep walking when things seem a little boring at times, the strength you will need...in general.
Let His joy be your strength to keep following Him as He carries the load for you.
I encourage you to take some time and evaluate how much extra weight you have been carrying that you were never meant to carry. Once your done, hand it back to Him....He will even give you the strength to "cast your cares upon Him."
#LetGoandFollow.
It's like, I find myself DOING a ton! Our youth ministry (Passion Student Ministries of Atlanta City Church) has had an ridiculously busy summer! I was so pumped to do all we did with our students! But, about half way through their summer I found myself just checking things off the list and planning on the next event. I am NOT saying I was simply going through the motions, but with doing ministry, another job & factoring in friend time, I found that I wasn't making time to really processes where or what God was wanting to do IN me. I had this scary moment a few days ago where it dawned on me that the summer is over and those 3 months flew by faster than any other measure of time I have ever lived. What scared me was that I thought to myself, "that's how people get 30 years down the road and wonder why they never fulfilled their dreams".
Fortunately for me, the last 3 months of my life were spent doing things that I am passionate about. I adore being in youth ministry! But, I also have to keep looking forward and planning for what is next (whatever that is). Being the Director of Passion Students is amazing, but I know it is not the fullness of what I am called to. So....how do we get to where we are meant to be? Or maybe for you...you're still at the Mapquest site trying to figure out what address to plug into the "destination".
Lets hone in on vs 6: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Jesus started the good work IN us. He had your purpose planned out from the beginning of time. The work came alive when you first believed in Him. We were chosen. He has the plan & blueprints.
My fave part of this verse is: (He) will CARRY if on to completion...
Jesus will carry ____it___. (You can fill in the blank there... job, passions, healing, hang ups, unanswered questions, both positive & negative elements of life, calling, etc)
Its not our weight to hold. He holds it, we follow His lead.
Our job is to accept Gods plan for our life. That starts with salvation and flows into the gifts He has through salvation and then goes into your calling.
I don't have some HUGE revelation to drop on you. Actually, its quite simple....let Him carry your weight. If you feel heavy and discouraged, its probably because you are carrying something that you weren't intended to carry. If we are so focused on the "what ifs & how will this work out" than we take the focus off of just simply following His lead and we put the responsibility back into our own hands. He started the work and I am here to remind you that God is a finisher. It says in the word that "his joy shall be our strength". This verse can be used in so many different areas of our life. Let it remind you today that though the road is not always easy and things don't always make sense, let His joy of following Him be your strength. The strength you will need to keep pressing in when you don't know what to do next, the strength you will need to simply keep walking when things seem a little boring at times, the strength you will need...in general.
Let His joy be your strength to keep following Him as He carries the load for you.
I encourage you to take some time and evaluate how much extra weight you have been carrying that you were never meant to carry. Once your done, hand it back to Him....He will even give you the strength to "cast your cares upon Him."
#LetGoandFollow.
You, my friend, are amazing :) This was pretty awesome
ReplyDeleteAwww thank you my Best,best (x100000000) friend. ;)
ReplyDelete