I think back to a time when life was easier than it is now and some days I don’t want to be an adult. I want to be the kid that my biggest responsibility is being home before the porch light comes on. I want to ride my bike with wild abandon and roller skate down the sidewalk and hang out with my friends. A time where there are no bills to pay, no decisions to be made about what’s for dinner or where to go eat. I want to sleep in because my chores were done the day before and there is nothing pressing that I have to get up and do. 

Do you ever feel like that? Life seems so much more hurried and harder than it was when I was younger.  People were kinder back then, they helped you, expecting nothing in return. In the world we live in today, many people won’t stop to help a stranger in need, because of fear. Fear that if they help, something bad may happen to them. I understand those fears. The world I grew up in is gone. It lives on in our memories, but not in our lives today. 

I cringe when I see disrespect among people for others. What happened to showing respect to one another, especially if the person is older? What happened to agreeing to disagree on important matters? What happened to people willing to work out solutions and compromise, instead of always wanting their own way or no way at all? What happened to children respecting their parents, even if it seems unfair? Some days, I long for the times when everything seemed right. And I know one day it will be when Jesus returns to the earth. 

Until that happens, though, we must patiently wait for the Lord. We must learn to continue to show the love of Jesus to everyone we meet. We must share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and be willing to answer anyone that asks. Waiting on the Lord, being still, in the midst of chaos, is hard. It’s not meant to be a walk in the park or something easy. It’s like a test of sorts. You learn to lean on God and trust Him for everything in  your life. Some people love having quiet time for themselves,or to spend with the Almighty and for others quiet time drives them insane. I love quiet time. It helps me reflect on my life, on the purpose God has for me and how best to serve Him and for Him to receive all glory for everything. Some days just sitting in silence, without my phone or electronics on, I can hear the Lord. It’s not an audible voice, but I know in my heart of hearts, it’s Him. 

Our schedules are so full that finding quiet time to soak up with God seems few and far between. We can find time to do everything else, but finding time to get into a routine with God seems daunting to some. People say, I barely have 5 minutes to myself, where am I going to find time to spend with Jesus? And I say, you have to make God a priority in your lives. You have to decide the time of day that works best for you and if you have to, write it in your calendar. Set up a meeting time with God each day. Get up an hour earlier than normal. Spend time in His Presence. Get to know Him intimately. He created you. He loves you. He wants to spend time with you. Yes,He knows your every thought, He knows everything that is going to happen to you before it does, but He wants that relationship with you that He can only get if you choose to follow Him. God gives us free will. He’s a loving Father that isn’t going to make you have a relationship with Him. He wants you to want that.

I wish I could say that my routine is steadfast, but some days, I fail to get up when the house is still quiet, which is rare in itself. But that doesn’t stop me from having my time with Him. It just means it’s broken up in segments during the day. In between, doing laundry, physical therapy, cooking, cleaning, entertaining the grandchildren, running errands. I still spend time with my Lord. I pray, I talk, I listen. I’m thankful that I don’t need an APP to reach him. The Holy Spirit dwells within me and we communicate all the time. When I don’t know how to pray for my circumstances, the Holy Spirit intervenes for me. 

Do you know what your purpose is from God? Are you tuned in to what He is calling you to? For years, I believed that my purpose was to write and share His promises with others. I would sit and write my blog and share it with the world. I wrote a trade book about Jesus and His mercy and grace. But now, I am struggling with staying on that path. I love encouraging others in their faith and sharing Jesus with them. I am just not sure if this is how I am called to do it, or if God has other plans. So, I pray. I wait. 

I know full well, that whatever God calls me to do, He will equip me to do it. And I know from past experience, that He will call me out of my comfort zone. I will challenge Him as to why I can’t do what He is asking, which really is futile, but the human I am, I will. I am comfortable writing, which is why I think this must not be how I am to share His story. Discerning what is right isn’t always easy. And waiting isn’t either. I am a work in progress. The Lord has been working on my patience for years. Learning to “Wait on the Lord” is something I have always struggled with. I can talk a good talk, but when it comes to me, personally, waiting I rarely follow my own advice.

Now that I think about it, I realize that I am not much different than our grandchildren. Our youngest grandchildren struggle when they are told no or wait. They don’t want to hear that.  It upsets them. They cry or become frustrated because that seems not fair or too hard. I guess they get that honestly. I don’t cry when I am told to wait or told no, but I do become frustrated when I hear that answer.

I know God has plans for me. I know they are for good. I know He doesn’t want to see harm come to me and I know He is my HOPE. I know that because that is what the Bible tells me in Jeremiah 29:11.  That is my life verse. I have clung to that scripture for as long as I can remember. The next two verses of Jeremiah 29 tell me that if I seek Him and ask Him, He will make it clear to me.

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV

Our plans usually don’t work out like we think they will. When they do, then my thoughts are, that was part of God’s Will for our lives, part of His plan. God’s timing is always perfect. We need to learn to trust Him with everything.

And we need to be open to change. What He has in store for us, might not even be on our radar. 

Look at all the people in the Bible that didn’t think they could do what God told them to do. They didn’t feel qualified or equipped. They were fearful of what others might think.

 Jonah ran away and was swallowed by a whale because he didn’t want to go to Nineveh and preach against the sin and wickedness in their city and warn them of what God would do if they didn’t stop.

God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery, out of Egypt, but Moses was afraid people wouldn’t listen to him because he stuttered. He wanted God to use someone else, but it was his calling to do this. Not anyone else’s.

Daniel refused to stop praying to God, going against King Darius’s decree and he was thrown into a lion’s den. But God saved him because Daniel had a relationship with him, sent his angels to protect him and when the King opened the pit the next day, he knew that Daniel’s God had saved him. A new decree was written to honor and pray to the Lord and no one else. Because Daniel was obedient, God was glorified and more people became believers.

You get the idea, right? God will qualify you for anything He calls you to do. He is God! He is omnipotent, sovereign, divine, almighty! You may think there is no way I can do what God is calling me to do, but trust me on this, even if you think you can’t, God will show you how much you can. Our minds are not infinite, we don’t think the way the Lord does, no matter how much we want to

4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice[a]; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.[b] 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages,[c] while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NLT

20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.  Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV

The next time that God calls you to do something out of your comfort zone, trust that He will give you all you need to do His Will. Instead of saying, why me or I can’t, why not say “here I am Lord, send me”.

Timing is everything. Trust the process. Remember God will never give you more than you can handle, even though it may feel that way. In times like that, when you feel like you just can’t handle one more thing, remember to lean into Christ. He is your strength. He is your Savior. He is always with you.

Every test we face in our lives becomes a testimony to how powerful and loving God is. The messiness of everyday, can become a message of encouragement and hope to someone else. Never doubt that your struggles can become someone else’s survival guide. When we go through struggles, and we come out on the other side of the mess, we give glory to God. We give him praise through the storms as well. He is the reason we live and breathe. He needs to know He is loved just as He loves us. Don’t forget that. 

I pray that as you read this, you will know that you are not alone. God is always with you in your darkness moments as well as your most joyous ones. Jesus is all about relationships, not religion.

God bless each of you today and always.#HopeAlwaysHaveFaith

Much love till next time ~ Carlene