Focused

Lord you are all knowing.  You have brought me to this very spot for a very specific purpose.  Give me the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the heart to respond to your voice.  Do not let me be caught up in the things that don't matter.  Let me be focused on you in all things.  Thank you for who you are. Amen.

The Main Attraction

I'm pondering the idea of the circle of impact. Initially I was thinking we need to be sure that we have a ripple effect and let our lives make a mighty impact. But then I thought about the person who spends his/her time quietly alone with God, impacting the few people who may care for him/her or visit him/her. Are either of these lives more valuable than the other? No. So do I mean that we shouldn't care about sharing Jesus. Not at all. The insight I'm taking from this is do whatever it is you are called to do by Jesus.  If that's to father a nation, then do it.  If it's to give your last two coins to Jesus, then do it. This life is not about our impact, but rather our relationship with Jesus. We get caught up in wanting to make it about how big our churches get, or how many people like our post, or  what our altar call count is, which is a distraction from the main attraction...Jesus. Live life for Jesus and let Him make an impact in, around, and through you however and to whomever he chooses.  Make life about Jesus and you will have an impact.

Keep Seeking

It has been a difficult couple of weeks for me, emotionally and spiritually. I've had lots of questions and apprehension. So what do I do? I go to Jesus and I go to my spiritual mentors. As soon as I notice I'm feeling a little "off", I text my mentor people and ask them to start praying. I give them specifics about what I'm seeing and feeling and ask them to intercede on my behalf. Then I begin a very diligent prayer pattern and 'eyes open' lifestyle. God has been faithful and revealed to me, through my mentors and my journey, new insights into His calling for me. I have been overwhelmed by His generosity in casting the vision and clearing my sight to see His it. There is a reason behind all that we think, feel, do, and experience. The key is to seek the One who is sovereign and omniscient, for He will shine light in the darkness. Keep seeking Jesus!

Quality Time With Jesus

We are so important for one another.  I am an ambivert, meaning I go back and forth between being and extrovert and an introvert. I get my energy from being alone, not being with others.  However, quality time is one of my strongest love languages.  Being with people is hard for me, and I prefer to do it one or two at a time when I do get together with others.  All of that said, we need each other.  We need our relationships and conversations to help us along the journey.  I find that I gain so much when I spend time with someone I love.  I am rejuvenated and energized by the personal interaction. I find the same to be true when I spend time with Jesus.  It seems harder because He doesn't seem to have a dialogue with us.  In reality, we don't know how to have a dialogue with Him.  It takes time to get to know Jesus well enough that you can sit quietly, listen, and know when He is speaking to you.  It is hard to give him as much time as that relationship really needs.  We are in a society of quick relationships through social media and texting.  My challenge is to make the time it takes to get to know Jesus, so that I can have personal interactions with him and be rejuvenated and energized through my quality time with him.  I will still spend time with my friends and family, of course, but I need to spend more time with Jesus.

With Grace

I'm speaking solely to myself today, even though I'll speak in we language. ;-)  Sometimes people are hard to handle. Our brokenness gets in the way so often. We respond in ways that are hurtful, even when we don't mean to hurt. We give advice when none has been requested. We offer words of what we think are wisdom, and instead they come out condescending. However, there are two ways this street. Sometimes we choose to be offended, when no offense was intended. Sometimes we grab onto only the negative comment and focus on it until it becomes all consuming. How can we handle one another? With grace. People are broken. As I've said before, we have to look at them through God's eyes and love on them as Christ would. Get over it and move on in grace through Christ Jesus.

I Am Rooted

I've been experiencing some very interesting days here lately. My emotions seem to be all over the place about all sorts of different things going on. I am anxious about all of the new. I'm frustrated about the old. I'm excited about the possibilities. I'm overwhelmed by my thoughts. I'm hopeful in tomorrow. I'm apprehensive about the change. With all of these emotions flying around, I'm sure glad I have one thing that never changes. Jesus is my constant. He is in every moment, in every feeling, in every thought.  He walks alongside me reminding me of His presence. When the emotions run high, I know I am rooted deeply in the One who is sovereign over all and I will not be shaken.

Rescue

Each year at the start of my school year, I ask God for a word. One word that will lead me through the year and give me a particular direction to watch for God at work. This year my word is rescue. I read the book of Amos, it's short, and found God rescuing the oppressed and providing justice. I don't know yet what the word rescue entails. I hope to be on both ends of this one, being rescued and rescuing others, experiencing God working in me and through me. It will be an interesting focus, I believe, because it is an action word that requires more than just my faith. (My last two words were persevere and trust.) I'm excited to see how this new focus will transform my heart through God's movement. I'm meeting Him where He is!