I listened to a talk by a respected man in the marketing industry who said at the turn of the 19th century, they structured schools to teach kids to follow directions because eventually, kids would be factory workers who need to follow directions.
While thinking on this, I remembered the verse in 1st Corinthians 2:16, “for, ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.”
How often do we hold ourselves back from something because it’ll be a harder road to figure out? How often does the enemy try to preoccupy our minds with social media and streaming platforms? How often do we take the road frequently traveled because we feel this pressure to fit into the mold of society — to follow directions? If he can numb and distract our minds, he doesn’t need to worry about much else.
My plan for the remainder of this year crumbled. And just before that, my other possibly longer-term plan unraveled. Suddenly, I was left with time I didn’t think I would have. So I began to wonder about what might be next. I could find another similar plan that I had, but it crumbled for a reason. Contemplating the good and the bad of that plan helped me see that maybe God has something else in store. He doesn’t make mistakes.
He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he.
~ Deuteronomy 32:4
But what if that something else is the harder route? I wrestled back and forth with it. I talked with my sister and said, “sometimes I just wish my life could be a bit more normal.” In a lot of ways, I just never felt like I fit. I thought I’d be a wife and a mom in my 20s. Once that didn’t happen, I thought I should focus more on my career, but I’ve never felt like a career person. I have to pay my bills, so I need to work and find something I can do.
Getting let go from a writing job doesn’t bode well if you want a career in writing. But then again, having a stutter didn’t prevent Moses from doing public speaking. At the end of the day, I do believe I need to be writing, but not for other people. I believe the two books I’ve written were thoughts and ideas the Lord gave me. I have more ideas and more books I know I need to write, but it’s not going to be easy.
As I thought about it, I realized it’s now or never. I don’t want to be in the same spot five years from now, wishing I’d started down this road sooner. Again, I’m still figuring out what this will look like, and I feel things change daily.
Side note: I am writing this because I will need this reminder down the road!
At the end of my life, God will not ask me how much money I made. He’s not going to ask me what titles I held. Instead, He’s going to ask us if we were faithful with the gifts He gave us. If we used the resources, He provided — one being the mind of Christ.
God can use us anywhere we are in whatever positions we hold, but we must continue to seek His will for our lives. And sometimes, that might not look like foolishness in the world’s eyes.
I’ve been reading many of Elisabeth Elliot’s books and listening to her talks. Her life didn’t make much sense. She and the guy she had feelings for waited for five years before they married because they were waiting on the Lord. Then, two years after they got married, he died. I cannot imagine how crushing that must have been! After losing her husband, she went back to live with the people who killed him. I wonder how many people disapproved of her decision.
Elisabeth eventually remarried a man eighteen years her senior, and he died four years later. I’m sure she wondered countless times what God was doing. Yet, she stayed faithful, continuing to write and mentor countless women. Her legacy continues because seven years after her death, she’s still mentoring women through the words she spoke and wrote.
Life doesn’t always make sense. I think God often allows things to disrupt our plans, so we learn to rely on Him one day at a time, taking one step at a time. We are not promised tomorrow. We only have today, and He has things for us to do today. It may be washing dishes, homeschooling, going to work, and adding value to your company; it may be waiting on God or trusting Him to show up; whatever it is, there is a task for you and me today that He has given us to do. Let’s do that task well because He deserves our best.
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
~ Revelation 4:11
I shared this in my newsletter, but I want to share it here with the rest of you:
Child of My love, fear not the unknown morrow,
Dread not the new demand life makes of thee;
Thine ignorance doth hold no cause for sorrow,
For what thou knowest not is known to Me.
Thou canst not see today the hidden meaning
Of My command, but thou the light shall gain.
Walk on in faith, upon My promise leaning,
And as thou goest, all shall be made plain.
One step thou seest: then go forward boldly;
One step is far enough for faith to see.
Take that, and thy next duty shall be told thee,
For step by step thy God is leading thee.
Stand not in fear, thine adversaries counting;
Dare every peril, save to disobey.
Thou shalt march on, each obstacle surmounting,
For I, the Strong, shall open up the way.
Therefore go gladly to the task assigned thee,
Having My promise; needing nothing more
Than just to know where’er the future find thee,
In all thy journeying, I go before.
~Unknown
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