A NEW UNDERSTANDING—Beloveds A long, long time ago when I was a newly-born-again Christian I thought I had to say yes to everything I was asked to do in the church. I was wearing myself out. In my effort to be helpful, I was stretching myself and my abilities way too thin. Then one day I read a statement by a well-known Christian leader saying he had been laboring under the same assumption. He was talking about the freedom of saying no to some requests made to him--and to say it without the burden of false guilt. What a relief that idea was to me! Well, recently I had to learn that lesson all over again. I had volunteered to do something that was not hard to do, but was time consuming. It was also physical which was very tiring to my old bones, and meant that when the job was over I went home to a long nap. That added more time. All was something I had not factored in when I said I would do it. I did not readily recognize it as a check from the Holy Spirit as I became anxious over that commitment added to others I had already made. I was feeling overwhelmed, wishy-washy on the direction to go, and getting very discouraged and depressed. As a result, I was accomplishing absolutely nothing. Everything seemed to come to a standstill including my time with my Father God and my prayer life. And that sterile time with Him was my first signal that all was not right. I missed the closeness and relationship that I had enjoyed before. One morning I began to talk it out with my Father God--the pros and cons of the new commitment and my ability to continue with the commitments already in place. Gently He began to remind me of the gifts and callings He had placed on my life at this point. I am well aware of what they are because of His great enabling and favor. At the age of 84 I am more confident of His calling than I have ever been in all my years as a Christian. I am amazed at the plan He has laid out and very aware of the fact that in it He is giving me “desires of my heart”. It is not the end, but it is not the beginning either. All those years of joy and pain, plenty and hardship, wrong and right choices, being terrified of life or walking in faith—all of that and more has been a learning time. Sometimes fruit was the result, sometimes starting over was the result. But always God’s love and patience and teaching were the formation of the sum total of where I am today. And that is what He uses for me to do what He has called me to be at this point in my life. I need to consult Him for all my decisions, Beloveds.
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 19:11:06 +0000