The Gap Between Me and My Calling

The Work is Hard

Have you ever felt like the thing God has asked you to do is too big, too hard, or just too much? 

Been there, felt that. 

The other night, in the midst of finding out more about what we will be doing on my mission's trip, I began to have this thought: "what are you doing? you have nothing to offer this group or the people you are going to serve" and I began to meditate on that. I began to wonder what I would wear on the trip and how I would get there since I have not raised all the funds yet. I worried, and I let fear begin to take root. 

Finally, after ranting to my husband all the fears and doubts I had I asked for Randy to pray, because I had gotten so worked up with worry that I did not even know where to begin or how to begin. He began by thanking God for the gifts and the talents in me, then He moved to thanking God for the provision He gives when we are not enough on our own. 

Have I mentioned how wise that husband of mine is? 

The Truth of the Matter

We will never be enough on our own. If we were we would not ache for something or someone more than ourselves. We would never cry out for God. In our human arrogance and finite wisdom we often confuse calling with equipping. 

God has called me and you to do the work of His kingdom, and often the job is bigger than the skills we bring to the table. That gap between our ability and the job He has called us to is the place where His glory will shine the most. This is where the only answer to the questions of "How?" "When?" and "Who?" are found in God: His provision and His timing. 

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own ways of thinking" (author paraphrase) is what the Psalmist said. God says His "ways are not our ways" and that He will "Make ways" for us to travel that we did not know, and "lead us" ways we did not expect. 

Real trust is knowing that in my weakness God gives me strength. Real trust is believing what God says is true: He never leaves us or forsakes us. He is our provider. 

Proof in the Morning

When I woke up the next morning it was to a phone call from a relative I see maybe once or twice a year. God used her to remind me of His love and provision. She has clothes for me that will be perfect for the trip. As I talked with her on the phone she told me a story that moved me and reminded me that God does hear our prayers. He loves us like no one else can and He moves and works on our behalf not so we will have things, but that we will trust more. 

When Jesus calmed the stormy waters the disciples were amazed. He said "Oh ye of little faith". I have been so guilty of "little faith". Yet, God is continually faithful toward me, so why do I doubt? In the gap between where I am and where God is taking me is an adventure of epic proportions. There He will do things in new and fresh ways and always fulfill His promises as I run after Him. 

I am reminded of Matthew 6:33. "Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well." (New Century Version)

Join the Conversation

What ways has God shown you His love and provision in your life? 

Help Send Me

If you want to help be part of God's provision and sow some great seeds of faith, join me by donating to the mission's trip to Guatemala. The button is up in the top right corner or you can click this link: http://www.gofundme.com/A-Mission-2-Get-Wrecked 

Every little bit helps and all donated money goes to the Mission's Trip. 

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Little Miss Scatterbrained

Copyright: Roger Hargreaves Mr. Men and Little Miss

Scattered

I found myself stressed, anxious and on edge for the last few days. I just wanted these feelings to go away! 

The thing I realized some time last night is this: I had not really prayed or gotten in God's presence in the last few days either. 

So I began to worship. I began to sing and lift my hands and my heart in praise. God is so good. I began to mull over Luke 12:26-28. 

"If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?"

In the last month I have been more obsessed with worry over money, bills, presents, and other little things than I ought to be. In reality, God met every need we had and provided above and beyond every time He moved on someone's heart to give toward my mission's trip.  

It Ain't no Thang

Money is a little thing. Since I have little of it, then I have a choice. I can either choose to obsess over what I do not have and worry about what I am going to do to get things I do not really need or I can trust that my Father would never leave me begging bread and that the least of the kingdom issues (MONEY) is taken care of. 

After all God is the perfect Father and provider. He provides according to His riches in glory. 

I use money as an example of how little things can take over our minds and edge out our faith. Song of Solomon calls these things "little foxes". The things we think on are the things that begin to take predominance in our lives. That is why Paul said this to the church in Philipi. 

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

Paul knew the importance of our thought life. We need the mind of Christ if we are to live the lives of over-comers  If we want to say "I am more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus" and it be true then we must train our minds to focus on the goodness of God, not the bigness of our needs. 

I had spent way too much time building my unbelief instead of building my faith because I was focused on the wrong thing. 

"As a man thinks in his heart, so is he..." Proverbs 23:7

So I will begin to sweep out the polluted thinking and meditate on the pureness and goodness of my God. His mercy is new everyday.   I will run off the little foxes that try to sneak in and steal the fruit God is growing in my life. I will focus on doing what God has called me to and let Him work out the rest. 

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11

I recently heard someone say this: "Worry and anxiety are you meditating on the wrong things. Instead of you thinking on God's goodness, you are focusing on your lack." 

How true this is. 

My Prayer

Father, forgive me for losing sight of You and your goodness. I know you are more than enough. Your grace is sufficient. Father help me to be about your business without getting sidetracked and busy with the details that I should be trusting You for. You are good. You are faithful. Your love never fails. Have your way in my life. Rule and reign in my heart. Lead me by Your ways, and show me what it is to love like you. In the name of Jesus. Amen. 

Join the Conversation

Have you ever battled worry and anxiety? What helped you? 

Gardening 101- It is all about the soil!

Seeds I started in my kitchen are ready too plant, but my garden is not ready.

It is spring and I am starting seedlings for my garden. These seedlings have already had some challenges- mainly in the form of my daughter's cat, who thought my zinnias were his new litter box. 

The zinnias are gone, but I still have hope for the green beans, squash, sunflowers, tomatoes, cucumbers, watermelon, eggplants, bell peppers and herbs. 

Alex the Cat

But I have a problem beyond Alex the cat. I have all these seedlings and I haven't prepared the ground yet. Weeds need to be plucked and the ground needs to be turned. I am running behind. 

So, of course, as I ponder the problem God seems to line up things that remind me of the spiritual parallels between gardening and us. 

We are a garden, and we are expected to bear fruit. 

The parable of the sower in Matthew 13:1-23 is very clear about the importance of good soil. Jesus talks about 4 types of soil: road, gravel, weeds, and good earth. 

The Road is a person who hears about God, but won’t receive God, so when the enemy comes, the seed of God’s words are easily corrupted and eaten. 

The Gravel, or road side, hears the word and immediately responds, but there is not enough depth there. This is a person that lives by emotion and often is the type of person that flits from one fad to another. When the emotional high wears off, and trouble or testing comes, then they have nothing to show for it, because it was about the experience of the sowing and not about the maintaining or the growing. 

The Weeds are worry. Man, so many of us get caught here. I have before. Weeds seem to be able to grow just about anywhere, but they grow just as well in what could be good ground as they do in the gravel or in a tiny crack in the road. Weeds are hearty things that flourish under even the most inhospitable conditions. 

Weeds are the worries of life. Bills, family, and unexpected obstacles are the worries we allow to grow in our lives. Another class of weeds is false expectations. Jesus did not promise a life full of rainbows and unicorns. Life would not be suddenly perfect because you asked God to rule and reign in your heart. That assures your salvation, but the world is still a broken place. 

When we get wrapped up in the would-a should-a could-a, or we get fixated on desiring more than we are ready for, the weeds of false expectation begin to choke out our peace, and contentment, then they rob us of our faith. These weeds need to be plucked out at every opportunity. 

Who has gained one extra day of life because he worried? No one has. Worry is a faith killer, and faith in action is a weed killer. Remember what God says, He is our provider and He gives every good and perfect gift. Doing this allows us to begin to let go of worry and keep our hearts from fear and disappointments. 

Prayer and submission to God is the way to pluck out weeds. Prayer and supplication to God displace worry in our lives. Focus on Christ as the Center of provision and worry will have no place to take root. 

The final type of soil is Good Ground. 

Isaiah 62:10 says “Go through the gates, prepare the way for the people, cast up the highway, gather up the stone, and lift up a banner for the people. “ 

Un-tilled soil is rocky soil. The stones need to be removed, just like the weeds in our lives. Stones are those things we stumble over. Offenses, false-doctrines, and unbelief are examples of stones. 

When these are removed from our lives, and we continually pull the weeds from our hearts, the soil is ready for sowing. As the word falls verse by verse, seed by seed onto our hearts, it takes root, grows, it gets watered by the Holy Spirit and bears fruit. 

My garden needs a lot of work to get ready for these seedlings. My heart needs some preparation to receive what God has for me too! I want a harvest that is beyond my wildest dreams, and that means I have to prepare the soil. Time to put on the gloves and get to work!

Getting Rid of the Suds

{Photo Credit: Creative Commons)

I Have a Secret

Okay, I am getting kind of personal in here today, but being transparent is important in the body of Christ. I have been secretly struggling (not really sharing with anyone in my life) for about a week with worry over this one upcoming “event” in my family’s lives and today is the day. This thing involves a child and there is a special kind of concern we, as parents, have that can so easily turn into worry and worry can turn into anxiety. 

I have had to repent and ask God to forgive me for this worry and anxiety and I have really sought Him through this. (Hopefully, once all is said and done, I can share more details with you my friends, but since it involves my child, I will wait until it is more complete to report more) Needless to say this scripture has been on my mind today. 

Philippians 4:6-7 (MSG)

“Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Now this is not a ‘don’t worry ‘bout a thing’ like Bob Marley says not to worry (or at least I think it was Marley) or even a ‘don’t worry, be happy’ kind of thing circa 1988, thanks Bobby McFerrin, that song is permanently etched in my brain forever! But it is a do not worry- instead pray thing. 

Let’s break this down bit by bit and digest the Word a little together, shall we? 

What is Worry? 

Worry is defined as ‘disturbing oneself with troubling thoughts’ or ‘to torment with cares and anxiety’. Well looks like I need to re-read my own blog, huh? We have talked about casting down thoughts, and that plays a massive roll in overcoming anxiety and worry. (For more on casting down thoughts click here) But I want to concentrate on a few things, line upon line to build up not just your faith, but my own as well. 

When we worry something, (a verb with an object for all you word geeks out there) we agitate it, we stir it up. Think of a washing machine. When the clothes are agitated in the wash the water gets sudsy. Agitate it too much and you have a real Lucille Ball-esque moment happening with suds everywhere! Not a fun experience and a mess to clean up! 

Now when we pray, we take a break from the agitation and allow our minds to calm down. (We allow the suds to dissipate) When we pray we seek God, and He says when we call on Him, he answers! God is faithful. When He says something He will do it. He is not a man so He cannot lie! 

Now we need a good rinse to make things right and get rid of all the suds, right? Well, when we pray God’s peace will wash over us, sealing that assurance that all things work together for the good for them that LOVE Him and are called according to His purpose. 

Overflowing With Jesus, Not Worry

Now one more thing: can we look at the last line of our text? “It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” I remember displacement thanks to my eighth grade science teacher, Mr. Koelemay. When a glass of water is half full and you add stones one by one the water becomes displaced, rising bit by bit to eventually run out of the glass if you add enough stones. So following that scientific principle, if we add enough Jesus to our lives the worry and anxiety will be forced bit by bit to run out of our lives. No wonder scripture says my cup overflows! 

What is at the center of your life? Be honest. Do you worry about how the bills will get paid? Do you worry that something will happen to your kids? Do you worry about the price of oil, or who will be the next president? I mean do you worry so much that your focus is on the small stuff and not on God? 

Pray. Let Jesus fill you with peace and let that other junk, that worry and anxiety, run out. Share your concerns with God, because he cares for you! Do not worry about a thing, pray and it will be all right and you will be happy! Huh- go figure, now I have those songs in my head again. 

Join the Conversation

How do you battle worry? 

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember that pray is a verb!