Good afternoon on this crazy Ohio weather day. Lots of snow and then sleet and then freezing rain and then….still waiting….just rain. That is Ohio! A cold, yucky day on the outside yet warm and cozy on the inside gave me precious time to drink warm tea and sit at the feet of Jesus. I definitely had a plan for today:
1. Quiet time with the Lord
2. Treadmill
3. Shovel driveway
4. Get cleaned up for the day
5. Grandson’s basketball game
6. Grandson’s soccer game
7. Out to lunch with my daughter’s family
ALL of that by 1:00!! Quite an ambitious plan!! As I sit here at 11:42 I’m thankful that the above list did not become a checklist of just things to be done. When it was clear that five, six and seven were not going to happen I brewed an extra cup of tea and sat back down for more of number one. Such sweet, precious time….no worries, no pressure……
I’ve been hurried of late, very busy…rushing from one task to the next as I’m sure many have experienced. When I am weary at the end of the day as opposed to joyful then I know I’ve actually been lost in my busyness. I’ve missed opportunity upon opportunity to serve the Lord with gladness and thanksgiving. It IS true, if I serve God in all that I do and all that I say no matter how exhausted I am I will rejoice in it because I have lived out my purpose!
“Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!” Psalm 100:2
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Galatians 5:13
“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” Romans 12:11
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” Romans 12:9-11
In the last, nearly five years, I’ve been striving to figure out my purpose in this life. I’m no longer a wife, where I had placed my identity and where I had worked so hard at being the best I could be. What I realize now, finally, is that my identity is not in being a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a daycare provider, a sister, a daughter….while I certainly AM all of those or was……those are merely labels of roles I play in this earthly life and as I’ve learned they simply don’t last. Of those labels, I’ve relinquished three of them already….wife, daughter and daycare provider. If I live with labels and claim them to be my identity and purpose then I've bought in to this earthly life believing that this is all there is and as each labels drops off I’m actually LESS than what I used to be.
If I believe that I am a child of God and THAT is my true and LASTING identity, it IS FOREVER. NEVER to be relinquished! The bigger picture though is what it REALLY means. It really means that no matter what happens in this earthly life, nothing can take away the fact that I am and always will be God’s child. I can wear many labels in this earthly life but my identity is in Jesus. No matter my earthly circumstances my identity in Christ can NEVER be taken away. So why is this so, so important and how does it work day to day in my life?
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” Colossians 3:23
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33
Whether I’m a widow, retired or disowned….it matters not. My purpose is to serve GOD and out of that service ALL else will be fulfilled. If you are serving God FIRST you WILL be the best spouse, the best mom, the best grandmother, the best professional……whatever you do you will succeed because GOD is the power behind you not yourself. There is a lot of sadness in this world but He has overcome the world.
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11
If you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior this probably all sounds funny and foreign to you but it doesn’t have to. The best thing I’ve ever done is to ask Jesus to come into my heart and save me. THE best. There is nothing like serving him and watching him lay out the plans he’s had for me since the foundation of the world. Only by serving him first can I even grasp a fraction of what he HAS done and what he IS doing in my life. On this dreary day I am joyful because he IS my joy!
God, thank you for days to stay in and hear your sweet whisper. Thank you that I am yours and that it’s forever. Thank you that when life’s circumstances seem too hard to bear that you hold me up and assure me that this life is merely temporary and short compared to living eternally with you. Thank you that someday I will never shed another tear but rejoice in your presence forever. Amen.
Have a beautiful day!
