On Time.

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

I came across the following verse this morning:

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap the harvest if we do not give up.       -Gal. 6:9 (NIV)

This verse is one I've heard throughout my life and I always think of it as being a good 'christian' and to 'keep on keeping on...' in doing 'good things' in life. This morning, it hit me a little differently...

The 'weird' phase...

A lot of people my age are at a weird phase of their life. I wouldn't call it the 'awkward' phase of life (that's the teens...), but honestly it's just weird. At 25, you have friends who have been in and out of college and have gotten their 'big kid' jobs, you have friends who are still in college, you have friends that never went to college, you have friends that went to college and are doing nothing with their life and you have friends that have hardly any education and are making more money than 4 of your friends combined. On another aspect of life, you have friends that are married, you have friends that are single, you have friends that date and date... and date, you have friends that never want to get married, you have friends that ONLY talk about ever getting married... and they are the single-est of them all. And to add one more aspect, you have friends that are 25 that act and live like they are 25... you have friends that are 20 that live as though they are 29 and then you have friends that are 31 that party like they are 21. With all that being said, the mid-20's are just a HUGE transition phase of life... and it's just... weird.

Over the past few years, I've really taken time to get my life on the track God has set for me and He has placed the people in my life that need to be there. It's been a hard few years and my faithfulness has definitely been tested... and there have been so many times when my impatience has kicked in and I've jumped to make decisions and done things on my timing... that clearly weren't God's timing.

The past 6 months have been full of events testing my patience and faithfulness... whether it be work or relationships, it's been an intense, but wonderful, 6 months. Most recently something that I had been trying to be patient and faithful with was suddenly ripped from my hands (which I shouldn't have ever been holding in my hands in the first place) and turned in a direction that I totally was not expecting. It hurt. A lot. And it still does... but it really has made me step back and think a lot about TIME. When it happened, I just kept saying, 'I wish I could just take back the past 6 months,' so I could change the outcome.

On Time...

When I read the words, 'proper time,' in Galations 6:9 this morning, I remembered what I had been saying about taking back the past 6 months of my life, and I realized, the events that are unfolding in front of my eyes and in my life are not on my timing. They are on God's timing. And his timing is perfect. Maybe not to what our human brains can wrap our minds around, but because He walks ahead, behind and beside us, He knows what is next on the agenda and He can overlook the past and walk with us to guide us through those times.

As I was thinking about this, God said to me, 'I'm not early. I'm not late. I'm ON TIME.' Wow. It's true... God is ON TIME.

In life, we will experience hardships, we will have to endure tests and trials and we will at times be heartbroken and find ourselves in a place that we never expected to be at a time that we thought something would be unfolding a different way than it did. In these times, we can rejoice knowing that God is ON TIME when we are FAITHFUL and TRUST in Him and His master plan.

God has given us each special talents and gifts with a purpose to share those with others. In these times of brokenness, we are called to keep doing good and being faithful with the talents and gifts God has given us because despite our human 'feelings,' God is going to use your talents to bring about something during that time... you just may be too distracted by the events blinding you to see His plan unfolding. So, as Galatians 6:9 says, 'Let us not become weary in doing good,' we need to endure the tests and trials that life throws at us. On His 'proper time,' we will 'reap the harvest if we do not give up.'

As I continued to think about all this, I realized that my hurt and brokenness may be distracting me from something else God is calling me to do. Maybe God is protecting me from something or maybe He just has other plans for me... either way, I have to step back and lay that hurt at the foot of the cross and live in peace knowing that God is ON TIME. He will work out those situations on perfect timing and I can rest knowing this. Joyce Meyer said,

God causes things to happen at exactly the right time! Your job is not to figure out when, but to make up your mind that you won't give up until you cross the finish line and are living in the radical, outrageous blessings of God. The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life you'll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure everything out and let God be in your life.

This passage is so powerful and it's such a relief to know that we don't have to figure everything out. We just have to let go and let God work. We don't have to have all the answers we just have to live knowing that Jesus is THE answer and He WAS, IS and always WILL BE on time.

Whose time are you living on?

But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfectly and fully developed, lacking in nothing.       -James 1:4

I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.                -Jeremiah 29:11 (msg)

Stop. Step Back. Stand.

So a few weeks ago, I was in a small and intimate worship setting. The presence of God was thick and it was in that moment that although there were 30-ish other people around... it was just ME and GOD. I had this vision... {ok, let me preface where I am in life to better explain the significance of my vision}

I am for the most part very independent. I desire to be able to depend on someone else for things in the future, but because of some things in the past, I carry a lot of weight on my shoulders because of my independence. That can be both good and bad...

• The pros: I get things done. I know time management & money management {well... I KNOW it... I may not always necessarily PRACTICE it...}. I don't depend on anyone to make a decision for me and I don't let other people's decision affect me. I have a great job for a 25 year old (all glory to God on that one). I get to make decisions in my job and people respect those decisions...
• The cons: I take on too much responsibility at times. Sometimes I carry other people's burdens and hurt because I want to help them to things that I do for myself (even though it's not my responsibility). I don't always trust others to do things, so I do them myself therefor resulting with a HUGE to do list. I overcommit myself...

While there's many, many more... I'll move along and hope you get the picture. I'm independent, but I'm not I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T (like the rap song)... 'do you know what I mean?' {haha that's part of the lyrics - so I hope you get my humor and reference} Over the past 2 years (since moving to Destin), I have struggled to just 'let go' of things and give them to God. The more I've been able to do this, the more blessings I've received. They weren't always easy to see, but I look back over the past two years and they are so clear. {See a recent Facebook status below}

wow. I stand in awe of the faithfulness of God. Tomorrow I am running in a half marathon (13.1 miles) after years of being injured. I am blessed to be a part of a planning team for an awesome event (and more) in the works (details coming soon). In June, I get to travel to Guatemala on a missions trip to serve at an orphanage. I love my job. I get to hang out with the coolest family. I work with some really awesome youth at my church. I'm dancing again. My friends rock.-- I look back over the past few years and I have no answers but I give all the glory to God. Was it an easy walk? No. Are there still going to be challenges ahead? Yes. But I walk in faith knowing that God hears the desires of your heart and whether they play out like you had planned or whether He brings you to those places through a different route, He is faithful and walks the entire route with you. You just have to take that leap of faith and put your trust in Him. He has plans for you that are bigger than you can imagine... it just takes us committing to that first step and saying, 'ok God. Lead the way.'

Over the past few months, my relationship with God has grown so much. He's blessed me in SO many ways that it's just amazing. I've taken two years to really focus on the path HE has for me and it was hard, but here I am. I've been feeling that a season of change was coming and not in a bad way, but that these two years have really been prepping me for bigger things for my future. In the past 6 months, I've been blessed with an amazing job, great friendships and he has placed me in positions that I never saw myself in before, but I love it.

Even with all these blessings and great things God has done for me, my independence kicks in and I attempt to carry all of this weight on my shoulders. I find myself worrying about things at work or tasks for other stuff I'm involved in, or even things in my relationships. I attempt to solve problems out of my own ability then all of a sudden God reminds me, 'I'm bigger than that ______ (insert problem here)___.'

God says, 'I'm bigger than your relationship issues. I'm bigger than that obstacle at work. I'm bigger than your feelings that got hurt by what that person said. I'm bigger than the guilt from that mistake you made in the past.' THESE are the things that I (and many other people) attempt to 'carry on our shoulders.'

SO back to this vision that I had.... I was in worship and I saw the cross. God whispered to me in that moment and said, "all you have to do is lay everything at the foot of the cross. I want to carry that weight of {all those things I listed above... and more} so your arms are free. With the freedom of your arms, all you need to do is lift your hands and worship me." What a cool vision. It's so true. He's got the whole world in his hands... and all we do is try to worry about what someone says about us behind our backs (just one example).

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. -1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you. -1 Peter 5:6-7 (MSG) 

wow. I love the Message version of this verse, 'he is most careful with you.' That's just amazing to think about. We are God's workmanship (Eph. 2:10). He loves us and cares about us. We are his prized creation. Why should we worry when the creator of the universe holds the future in his hands... I just can't wrap my mind around that sometimes (probably because my independence kicks in and wants to help with the creation, haha...)

But how true is it that we as humans constantly try to take matters into our own hands without listening to what God is telling us and how heavy do these burdens get and weigh us down. In those moments of heavy burdens weighing us down, we aren't down what we are created to do (worship God). We are worrying and trying to plan and trying to do something one way... which turns into an attempt to do the same thing (but another way)... and we are running around and around and around when all we need to do is Stop. Step back. Stand at the foot of the cross. Lay all of that burden, guilt, anxiety and stress at his feet. He will carry it for you. He WANTS to carry it for you and He CAN carry it for you. In that moment, of laying everything down at His feet, there's an overwhelming peace and freedom that you can't explain. It takes trust and it takes you crossing that line and literally saying, 'I let go of ______, and I trust that you will carry it for me and that you have amazing things ahead of me in my future.'

With that overwhelming freedom, you are back to your state of being able to just freely worship because all of those heavy loads have been lifted off.

Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. -Psalm 55:22 (NIV)

Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall. -Psalm 55:22 (NLT)

Pile your trouble on God's shoulders -- he'll carry your load, he'll help you out. He'll never let good people topple into ruin. -Psalm 55:22 (MSG)

The Message version of Psalm 55:22 is where my heart is. 'He'll carry your load, he'll help you out.' We just need to Stop. Step back. Stand at the foot of the cross and give it all to him.

2013 :: let go & let GOD

2013... Is this real life?

Seriously just yesterday we were prepping our homes for the turn of the millennium.... And 13 years later... Where are we now? As I look back on the past and forward to the future, it's truly spectacular to think about the blessings God has given me.

I've been thinking about New Year's resolutions for the past few days. In my 25 (wait... Is THAT real life...?! Haha) years of life, I have never actually written down my New Year's resolutions. But hey, if you want actual change, you've got to make actual CHANGES to your lifestyle. Procrastination and pondering on what you want to do does not produce changes.

My New Year's resolutions are all very simple but also will make monumental changes in who I am as a person, friend, sister, daughter, coworker and leader, but most of all child of God.

Lots of people have life themes: 'Live. Laugh. Love' (one of my faves), 'YOLO' (big on when you live on the coast), 'Don't worry... be Happy.' While all these are great and I refer to them often, God's laid on my heart a new one that has inspired most of my 2013 resolutions... 'let go & let GOD.'

let go & let GOD

It's simple, easy, free and transparent. At the same time, it's complex, involved, expensive and in your face.

I love the thought of letting go and letting God work in my life, use my talents for His purpose and molding me into the woman He wrote the story about. (Yes he has written each one of our lives before we were even conceived)

This thought I'm adopting does not mean sit back, be lazy and do nothing to better yourself as a person. While God wants to work in your life I truly believe you should constantly be taking steps (in His will) that will continually be molding your life to parallel His word.

I'm excited about 2013 for God has promised to move BIG in my life.

How is He going to move in yours? I challenge you to 'let go and let GOD' this year. What are you holding on to that God needs you to surrender to Him before He can bless you with the things He has planned for you? Believe in the promises of God, trust Him and speak truth over your life.

Proverbs 3: 5&6-
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

I loved the quotes on this picture I found. Maybe adopt a few of those into your life :)

Happy 2013!