My Path to Follow

It's Monday, so for this moment, I've thrown together some thoughts I've been pondering since my last blog post in an effort to encourage, so I'm just going to jump right into this if that's ok. :) 

For starters, while I hope you are encouraged by what you find written here, this blog is by no means something I've written for the purpose of telling my brothers and sisters in Christ what they should and shouldn't do. I love that you come and you read, and I pray you can take maybe a scripture away from one of these posts that is encouraging for you, but please don't think that I mean for my words to be perceived as if I'm "preaching" to you. This blog is simply one of my journals, essentially me preaching at myself most often. :)

My heart here is not to preach at anyone, that's not my God-given duty. 

As a young woman, this is important for me and what I want other young women that may be reading this to understand is this: our strengths were created in us for a purpose and our weaknesses were perceived before we came into existence. As women, our role is to grow in the Lord in our single years and embrace elements of ministry the Lord brings to our hearts in this time of spiritual growth and learning. That part of our lives is our training ground, but not the definition for the rest of our lives. Opportunities will change and our lives may look drastically different from one year to the next, but that is the beauty of it. The Lord takes and gives us gifts of experience and lessons learned to breed in us qualities that may be used for future purposes; whatever those may be.

So if I were to encourage you, young adults, to do one thing that I am praying about concerning myself is this:

Be open to the changes God brings. Each experience builds upon the next and we know not what blessings could be in store at the end of this journey. Never settle. Never sit idle. Always strive upward.

Building on the thoughts of one of the dearest young women in my life, a childhood friend, I am going to borrow one of "her verses". 

"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." 

(Jeremiah 29:11).

This young woman has told me over and over again in her letters of how important it is that we are not close minded in ourselves to God's "potential purpose" for us as we seek to grow in Him. His purpose is bigger than we can comprehend. But more important than focusing on this life is her constant reminder to me to "press towards the mark" and that mark being the joy of eternity and seeing our blessed Savior face to face.

Just this morning this friend told me,

"I know this life is hard and very difficult at times, but Jesus is our prize and it will be worth it all when we see Him. Don't grow weary in well doing. He certainly gives joy in all circumstances because of what HE has done, not with what goes on in daily life."

As we as friends have shared personal struggles, spiritual struggles, health struggles (one of my biggest), goals, and others, I have gradually seen how unimportant life itself is, and while God does provide us elements of joy in our lives, the ultimate joy is only to be found through the example of Christ Himself. Not to be sought in these temporary existences we often seem to prize so highly. 

"Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your (my) life? You (I am) are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." 

(James 4:14).

While that is a depressing scripture, perhaps, to quote here; it is all the more important in helping us realize how futile our temporal joys are. Our lives are so short, so quick, so vapor-like that the world never misses us when we're gone. So are we going to find our joy in what we do, what we say, the friends we make, what we accomplish, what we experience???

No, our role and my role personally is to find that joy in Christ and the example He has set for me. Unlike myself whose role is so short, so small, and insignificant; Christ's example is lasting and the source of the Hope that I live by.

"For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life." 

(Galatians 6:8).

Amen. 

What will be the result of the role I play in this life? Will my role encompass the reaping of my own struggle, desires, and weaknesses; or will I reap the joy that comes with surrendering my weakness and embracing the example of Christ? My role is to follow Christ and the spiritual head He places over me in this life. My role is to submit to His guidance, His example, and the path He has laid for me so that I may sow in the Spirit and "reap everlasting life".

Finally, my role is to be who He has called me to be without question and without concern. I am not to be who I am with an earthly self-confidence (which I often lack :) ) but to embrace what some have called a "God-confidence" and is to me the only form of confidence worth having.

I keep all of you that may read this in my prayers as you seek to find your purpose and your role through the person of Christ. Know that I am doing the same.

So I close with one of my favorite scriptures I have held close to my heart in both times of joy and struggle. It is all worth it. Every single moment.

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

(Philippians 3:13-14)

Many blessings,

Maddy

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