To Be Alive.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.~Ephesians 2:10

I celebrated my birthday recently. I’m not going to tell you how old I am…Most people are shocked at my age anyway, since youthful genes run in my family. Additionally, I’m quite petite. Put simply, the number doesn’t matter. These days, I’m pondering life and the lessons I’ve gained more than before.

Photo by Janko Ferlič on Unsplash

I no longer put societal expectations about age and the timeline for God’s plan for my life together. God has given us each a different story to write. It’s refreshing that none of us is exactly the same. We can always learn from one another and the different ways that God works in each our lives. It can be difficult to understand why the Father gifts one person in a certain way and not another person, but He is sovereign. Only He knows why, as tough as that can be for us to swallow.

In the past year, I had many opportunities to actually “walk in faith.” By the world’s standards, I went about a lot of things in a way that isn’t normally recommended. I think some people think I’m crazy for the peace I’ve gained from Christ about certain areas of my life. But you know what? We serve a faithful, all-powerful God. He has never let me down, and I know that same faithfulness will continue this year and forever.

I am astounded when I think upon the gift of life. Earthly life is definitely not perfect and there are always struggles of various types. Yet when I ponder that this life is a gift, and I could have never existed at all, or even not been given the chance to live…It puts it into a whole new perspective! What a tremendous gift, to live, learn, and love.

I was an idea of the God of the universe! So were you, and every other person in existence at any time. I don’t think our minds can fully comprehend it. What is also profound is that each of us were created for a specific & unique purpose!

I can’t wait to grow closer to Jesus Christ during this next year of my life and to see how He leads me further into the purpose I was created for…

Photo by Rob Bye on Unsplash

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Single Sundays-Finding Wisdom and Clarity.

“How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to get insight rather than silver!”~Proverbs 16:16

I hope you are having a very blessed Sunday that includes lots of peaceful time with the Lord & fellowship with others! Today is the last Single Sundays post, as it is the last Sunday in February. Today I will focus on how being single provides ample opportunities to gain wisdom & clarity for your life and future marriage. Without further ado, read below some of the reasons why being single for a longer time can actually be a blessing!

Being single provides time to gain wisdom. Wisdom is a gift from God. Very young people can be endowed with more wisdom than an elderly person. However, God grants many of

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us the gift of wisdom over time and through experiences and growing in our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Experiences can take years to amass for many of us. Sometimes we even need to re-learn the same lessons over and over during a period of years. During your time of being a single person, you can find wisdom about marriage. You will be able to observe many relationships & marriages. This will give you a vantage point to determine qualities you hope for in a partner. Your observation of different relationships and talking to those you know who are courting, engaged, or married will give you wisdom. You will be able to learn from the successes, challenges, and even mistakes of others.

Being single gives you time to gain clarity. As I wrote in the post last week, marrying young can turn out to be detrimental for some, as they have not yet realized their callings. They may not have had the time and experiences to clarify their purpose that those who are single for a longer period of time have. A person who waits longer for marriage is generally more mature and has had more life experiences to gain clarity about what direction their life is headed. A time of singleness (and past relationships) can also provide clarity about what you are and are not looking for in a marriage partner.

The clarity you find as a single person can bless your marriage, future family, and maybe even a ministry as husband and wife. As you grow older, your vision grows wider.

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You are more aware of the direction your life is headed in. I am in the midst of some big decisions, decisions that could affect my husband & our children. These decisions have come about due to wisdom and clarity I have gained about my purpose & the vision I have gained for my (and my husband’s) future family. As a person in my younger twenties, I did not have full clarity about these visions for my life.  I am grateful now that I have a clear vision for moving forward into marriage and family life. If you are in ministry or feeling called to ministry, it will be good to know the realities ahead of time so you and your spouse can be on the same page. Sometimes the Lord calls couples into ministry together, so you may even be looking for someone ministering in a similar or complimentary way. That clarity is very freeing.

What opportunities has your time of singleness provided to gain wisdom and clarity?

Embracing Who You Are

Do you embrace the person that you are? There is a widespread problem of people wanting to be someone who they are not. Maybe they are trying to follow what society says they “should” be, or maybe they see other people and want to be more like them. Most people have struggled with this at one time or another. These are deceptions.

We were “fearfully and wonderfully made,” as Psalm 139 reminds us. We were created in God’s image. Different people show us different aspects of God, and our various personality characteristics can evidence this as well. The Lord didn’t create us like someone creating an art project due for class the next day.

     We were sculpted by a Master Artist that is attentive to every detail. 

Embrace you: your strengths and weaknesses. Even your weaknesses can be channeled into strengths. When we lean on God to help us with our weaknesses, it is an opportunity to grow closer to Him. It is an opportunity to grow in character. If we constantly saw our strengths, we would forget our need for our Father.  Think about those great sinners who have become great saints: St. Paul, for example. His domineering ways that caused him to persecute Christians turned into radical evangelism that helped to spread the early Church.

When you recognize and accept the way God has made you, you will be better able to harness your strengths and work for His Kingdom. Some find my introverted side difficult to understand. I have had to learn to embrace that side of me, as extrovertedness is often more valued by society. Not too long ago, I took a vacation. Just me. Some people thought it was strange for me to go on my own. But I knew that it was what I needed. It was a gift to be able to take that time. God wired me as an introvert, and sometimes I just need space to recharge. That space gives me energy and better allows me to serve others. My introvertedness also brings with it a great intuition that allows me to better connect with others. I can’t detest the way He made me, because each aspect of my personality is purposeful. I am the child of a King! It is the same with you.

 

We thank You, Father, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Teach us not to detest ourselves, but to always remember that we are Your children. Show us how to build Your Kingdom with our strengths, and to lean on You for help in overcoming our weaknesses. Thank You for the intentionality with which You have created us and every single human being. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!

His Vision Is Bigger.

“Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”~Proverbs 19:21

Our Father has a bigger vision for our lives than we can imagine. As humans, we are so limited in our thinking and desires. We cling to what we want, thinking it is what is best for us. Yet our Father often has a much bigger, different vision for our lives–if only we can let go and let His purpose prevail in us. 

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Where I am today is vastly different than where I had imagined I would be at this age.  There are times when I’m tempted to pine for those things I’d hoped to achieve by this time. Yet, my Father has poured out tremendous blessings. There are so many other, different things that He has enabled me to achieve. I know that He has put me in this exact place, this career, this workplace, and these specific relationships. It is all meaningful. How I came to where I am in each aspect of my life was clearly directed. His vision for me is much bigger than the small vision I tried clinging to. And He continues to expand it in different aspects, asking me to let go of some desires, and to save others for later.

Are you in a place of wondering why your vision hasn’t come to pass? Are you questioning what He is doing? Ask your Heavenly Father what He wants! Determine if you’re clinging to your own desires. Surrender is scary–but it is only when we surrender that His wealth of blessings can fully rain down. When you let go of whatever you are clinging to, your Father will expand your vision and your understanding of your purpose.

Are you ready to let go of the way that you want things to go and expand your vision to the limitless vision of the Father?

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.”~Proverbs 3:5