The thoughts for this post started quite a while back, and I've finally semi-finished it now that I'm on Christmas break! Again, I'm not a very good writer, and I'm not good at communicating my thoughts, so if you have any comments or questions or even disagreements feel free to comment. I'd love to hear what people think of my posts and if they've helped, encouraged, or caused you to think of new things or anything like that! =)
As
I was walking back to my dorm from lunch by myself today, I was thinking about
my life. Why am I so
different? So often I feel like
I’m so alone. No one really
understands me, and I don’t really understand myself. Since I was little, my parents always told me I had the gift
of love. They always talked about
how I had such a big heart. I’ve
always loved people, I’m happiest when I’m with people, and I get my energy
from being around people. As
special as this gift of love sounds it’s not always that great to have,
especially when all you’ve got is your ability to love others. I never was extra good at any sport or
school subject or anything, really.
I don’t write well, I don’t like science, I’m only decent at math, I
can’t dance to save my life, balls scare me and I end up hurting myself and
looking ridiculous when I try to play any kind of sport, I’m a slow runner, I’m
not a very eloquent speaker, I don’t have any cool talents, and, surprisingly,
I am really pretty shy. I’ve gotten
to try lots of things like horse shows, cake decorating, piano, photography,
but I never really found my specialty.
I’m just not very good at much of anything. Also, having the gift of love does not guarantee that
everyone loves you. More often
than not you get taken advantage of.
People know I’ll always be there, I’ll always forgive, and I’ll always
love. They know I’ll be there when
they need me most, but in the meantime I’m not the most fun person to be around. I’m weak, sensitive, scared, and extremely
insecure. So, what am I here
for? How in the world can I do
anything of any worth? Despite all
these things there is one word that doesn’t fit me in the slightest, but it’s
followed me around since I was 12. Great. That's the reason for the name of my blog! A prophetess, Ruby Temple from Nicaragua, once anointed me and told me that I would do
something great. I don’t know what
that means or how I am to accomplish this, although I do know it will only be
with God’s help, but I have those words to remember and hold on to as I “press on to take hold of that for which
Christ Jesus took hold of me . . . I press on toward the goal to win the prize
for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians
3:12&14) When I went to Brazil
in 2010 the theme for the missions trip was
“Greater Things.” We learned the
song in Portuguese and sang it in schools, on streets, in the church and on our
hotel rooftop in Rio de Janeiro while we looked at the Christ statue, lit up
looking out over the city! This
year I have the incredible privilege, through my school, to attend the Urbana
Student Missions Conference. I
recently received a packet in the mail, which contained some information about
Urbana. One of the themes for the
conference was written on a handout and it read, “You were made for something
great.” Coincidence? I think not!! These so called "coincidences," I believe, are one of God's ways to get our attention and speak to us! I’m
not saying I’m better than anyone, but I do know that I’m different, and that
I’m set apart for something.
Something great! I know
that whatever this is God will receive all the glory.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29,31 says, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human
standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the
world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the
strong. He chose the lowly things
of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to
nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him . . .
Therefore, as it is written; ‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” This is another way I know I am
chosen. Its so encouraging to read
the gospels and see the weakness of the disciples, and to see how, when Jesus
was gone, the Holy Spirit gave them boldness whenever they needed to accomplish
great things for God. Before Jesus
called them to follow him, the disciples were just fishermen. That means they were learning their
father’s trade, which means that they weren’t the top kids in their class. No one had seen much potential in
them. Jesus chose the ones that no
one else had chosen. That’s
encouraging to me, because no one has ever really chosen me. When all else fails, God can work wonders
with the failures like me! I am
not a great person, I’m not anything super special, but I am God’s tool, and,
with me, I believe He can do great things! My job is SURRENDER.
Surrender to His will. This
doesn’t mean that I don’t get to live, that I’m trapped, that I’m a slave. Surrender to God’s will means life to
the fullest! (John 10:10) This
life is rich with deep joy, purpose, and freedom! Whenever I’m faced with something difficult I remind myself
that God has a plan for me, and “if God
is for [me], who can be against [me]?” (Romans 8:31) Nothing can stop God! If I surrender myself to His will,
nothing can stand against God doing awesome things using me! So, I got a C on my Interpreting the
Bible paper? Well, that’s not the
end of the world. That C can’t
stop God’s plans for my life, so what am I getting so stressed out about?? That guy doesn’t like me. So what? God has a plan for me, and maybe he would hold me back! Feeling rejected by others doesn’t mean
I’m rejected by God. I am CHOSEN
by Him, and so are you!!
God
has a grand plan for your life as well.
You are also chosen! He
wants to do something incredible with you! Something that will bring you joy, life, and purpose! Whether you feel like you have nothing
to bring or you do have a special talent, God has a grand plan for you
life! Jeremiah 29:11 says, “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 a
hope and a future.” I’m sure
you’ve heard it before, but let it encourage you again! All you have to do is say “yes” to
God’s plan! This is for believers
as well as non-believers. Just
because you say you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you’re fully living out God’s
plan for your life. Maybe you’ve
said “yes, God, I believe in you.”
Maybe you’ve “prayed the prayer,” but have you truly SURRENDERED? Are you living a fully committed
life or are you living a comfortable “good boy/good girl” life? Are you doing those uncomfortable
things that you know God’s asking of you or are you just going to church, reading
the Bible, being nice to everyone, as much as possible, and trying not to
sin? God wants SO MUCH MORE for
you! There’s so much more to God
and to being a Christian than that! This life I’m speaking of is AWESOME, but
that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Growth
isn’t comfortable, and sometimes it’s painful. I’ve spoken of this a little in previous posts, but I’ll have
to go into that a little deeper in another post. ;) For now remember:
You are chosen to do GREATER THINGS for God! Say yes, and surrender, and listen for God’s voice! Let Him guide you!
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has
conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9
No comments:
Post a Comment