Purpose, Passion, Success

Lately I have been thinking a lot about the purpose for the many gifts and talents God has blessed me with. To be a bit transparent, one of my greatest fears in life is that I will pass away without using everything God has put inside of me. As I am evolving, I am noticing new abilities and gifts surface and am noticing new things about myself that I didn't know before. And to be honest, every time God shows me something new about myself, I develop a burning passion and desire to make use of it right away. Is that normal? I don't know, but that is my truth. I think it has to do with me being extremely passionate.

Being passionate can be a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because it fuels me by putting fire under my butt. My strong desires and intense passions motivate me and gets me moving. I say it can be a curse because, sometimes the same intensity that I experience when I am extremely passionate about something, is the same intensity I feel when I am sad about something; or if the passion I feel doesn't catch on to the people I share it with. For example, it's like going to see a movie and enjoying it so much that you have to tell someone about it. They go see that same movie and tell you it was just okay. Stings a bit right?

Well, with this understanding that I have about myself, and in knowing that I am multi-passionate, I find that I struggle with trying to figure out, which one thing(s) that God put inside of me will lead me down the path of "success"? I put success in quotation marks because really, success is subjective. In our minds, we all have different ideas what the definition of success is. To some it may mean money and recognition. To others it may mean having a well fed and taken care of family. Then you have society. Society screams at us, telling us that success is being well educated (more than one degree), being fit/thin, having a big house, cars, great job, yadda yadda yadda.

In the article, "Why the Definition of Success Needs a Serious Face Lift" by the Huffington Post, the writer explains the harm that this illusion of success can have on us. She says,

"What happens when we unconsciously buy into our society's success model is that our thoughts stay in lack, making us feel that we are not enough, and we need this or that to feel whole again. The illusion has survived because we have kept the fallacy alive in our minds and continue to take action as though this was the true model for success...If you're hanging on the whim of society's definition of success -- you're always going to be chasing something that does not exist."

With that nugget of valuable information, and my curiosity, I wanted to know what God had to say about '"success". I mean after all He created all things right? Surely He would set a standard for us. In Joshua 1:8, God says,

"Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." Joshua 1:8

If that isn't the most clear and concise set of instructions! Success is God's idea. He wants us to prosper and succeed HIS way. His way includes us being obedient to Him by reading and studying His Word and actually obeying them. If we do this we will always be in God's will. I don't know about you but I would rather succeed by God's standards than any other made-up standard. Knowing this comforts me. Success is knowing God, accepting what He wants for our lives and following that. In God's eyes, success is mostly about our journey. He wants our focus to be on cultivating who we are internally and becoming more like Him. It's not all about the results. He want's us to leave that in His hands. He already promised that we would "succeed in all we do" if we follow those instructions. If we can focus on that, we give God the space to produce the success He promises in our lives.

xo

Reference Scripture:
Joshua 1:8

Blurb: Check out the Huffington Post article by clicking on the link sourced. It really does put things into perspective for those who may be struggling with living in a "success" driven society.

Prayer: Thank You

How often do we say a prayer just to thank God? No requests, no complaints, no demands...just to say thank you and express your appreciation? God is our Father and He has feelings too. He gets sad, He feels hurt, He smiles and feels joy just like we do. Imagine if your child always begged and complained to you and you never ever heard those sweet words "I love you mommy." or "Thank you Daddy." I don't have children but I can imagine that it is the most heartwarming and wonderful feeling to hear appreciation after you work so hard to provide for them. Now think about God. He deserves to hear those heartfelt words more than anybody. Try praying appreciation and adoration prayers at least once a day, and just imagine our Heavenly Father beaming with joy and pride. He's worth it.

Dear Most Gracious Father,

Thank You for giving me another chance. I make mistakes and You forgive. I slip up and You still love me. Thank You for not giving up on me. It's because of You that I know what true love is. You love me even though I at times I forget to acknowledge you. You still love me even when I get so distracted that I don't even take the time to say thank you. Thank You for showing me the most honest and pure love. Thank You for filling all the voids in my heart so much so that my heart overflows with love and joy so that I may share it with those around me. Lord, Thank you. For Your wisdom and mercies, Your provision and peace. Lord on this day I just want to say I love You. Most of all for just being You, perfect in every way. 

In Jesus' name, 
Amen.

Love Without Commitment

"Feelings of love can create intimacy that overpowers reason. People too often are in a hurry to develop an intimate relationship based on their strong feelings. But feelings aren't enough to support a lasting relationship. This verse encourages us not to force romance lest the feelings of love grow faster than the commitment needed to make love last. Patiently wait for feelings of love and commitment to develop together." - Student's Life Application Bible (in reference to Song of Solomon 2:7)

I am not afraid to admit that I in the past have been guilty of allowing "feelings of love" whisk me away into the wonderful emotional realm of love. Before really taking my time to develop that commitment, both parties (him and I) moved at a rather rapid pace and allowed our strong emotional feelings to grow much faster than our decision to commit to one another. Needless to say, it ended rather painfully because of the premature strong emotional attachment. That heartbreak could have been avoided had I (and him) made a conscious decision to take our time and not include "romance" until we knew 100% that we were going to be together.

In Song of Solomon 2:7, Solomon advises us "...not to awaken love until the time is right." Here he is suggesting that we not rush into romance, sex or a relationship prematurely (which is before marriage).

I know that sometimes that is hard to do. When you develop a connection with someone and the chemistry is just right, sometimes all reason and logical thinking goes out the window. Those "feelings" make us feel like we are on top of the world and anything or anyone that tries to combat that is a "hater" or "jealous". But sometimes when our emotions are all stirred up, and we begin to feel like we are "in love" we don't realize that we are attempting to build a relationship with sticks instead of bricks. What I mean here is that, trying to build a strong successful relationship on strong connections, chemistry, and feelings alone (aka sticks), is not enough to keep that relationship together. As soon as those feelings and that emotional high dies down, or as soon as a rock is thrown, the relationship won't have anything left to hold it together. It will crumble. And this is when heartbreaks occur.

God wants us to experience the joy and beauty of relationships in its fullness. He doesn't want us to experience emotional heartbreak due to us giving ourselves away in exchange for emotional highs. He shows us clearly in His Word the benefit of waiting until the time is right. He shows us all we can experience if we wait until we decide to commit to a person before we get lost in those "feelings" of love. Consciously slowing down your fluttering heart when dating can give you both time to strengthen your relationship without the distraction of romance. Taking time to build your relationship with bricks means slowly allowing your feelings of love to grow with your mutual decision to commit. Then you will experience love and commitment in its fullness, exactly the way God designed for it to be all along.

xo

Reference Scripture:
Song of Solomon 2:7 

Blurb: Solomon has become one of my favorite writers in the Bible. He challenges us by writing about topics that we rather not talk about. (He also wrote Proverbs & Ecclesiastes). In the book of Song of Solomon, Solomon eloquently writes of his love for his bride in the most endearing and poetic way. He depicts what God designed love to be like between a man and his wife. If you haven't read this book, I encourage you to read it and get a glimpse of the beautiful sanctity of marriage the way God intended.

Prayer: "Transform Me. I want to love like YOU do"

Many days I'm reminded that I just don't have the power to love the way Jesus loved. I mean, He endured the most pain, torture, criticism and He still loved. He shared with people, He forgave, He encouraged and taught without a bit of reservation. When I lash back at people who have hurt or betrayed me, sometimes I think, "Is this what Jesus would have done?" How did Jesus do it? God gave Jesus the power to love in spite of how people treated Him, and He gave us that same power. Even if it seems impossible, God gave us the ability to love those who are unloving toward us. But we can only receive this power if we ask for it and allow God to control our emotions. It's so easy to turn our backs on people who don't love us and I am guilty of doing so. Why would I want to love someone who did me wrong? It just seems so logical right? I honestly didn't truly understand what loving others really meant until my adult years. Loving those who hurt us heals, restores and helps the very person who hurt us. It really is powerful. Read 1John 4:7-20 and it will blow your mind what God has to say about love.

Dear Lord,

Every day I wake up is evidence that you still have a job for me to do. But everywhere I turn there are doubters, fear, betrayal and hurt. How can I continue on when negativity is all around me? How can I continue to love others when others willingly hurt me? Lord, I know that I can only do this with Your help. I need Your strength, I need Your power. Help me to easily forgive. Help me to not harbor pain and hurt and place it in Your hands. Lord I trust You, but I know I can't wholly trust You without giving my all to you. And that includes my past and all of my past painful situations. Lord help me to be free so I won't carry that heavy weight anymore. Please give me the power to love, share, and give freely even if I don't receive it in return. And as a result, those around me will know that You reside in my heart and the light they see in me comes from You. Lord, I thank you for Your transforming power and grace. Thank You for the work You're doing in me.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

My Rescuer...My Peace

I spent a little extra time with God this morning in prayer and study. Sometimes when I wake up heavyhearted with the weight of the world on my shoulders, I break down and admit to God that I am feeling weak. I used to hate admitting to God when I am weak, frustrated or sad because in my mind it made me feel like I was failing at being a Christian somehow. It may sound a little crazy, but to me, that's just how it feels. For some reason, I tend to believe that being a successful Christian means having this incredible strength, being able to shake weak feelings and emotions off and being strong for everyone around me. Being sad, crying or frustrated doesn't seem so "spiritual" to me.

I realize that this is exactly what Satan wants me to feel. He wants me to push away any weak feelings and emotions I have and put on this fake superhero strength so I won't need to ask God for help. Anytime I have these feelings, I promised God that I would immediately take it to Him. I decided that in order for me to have an intimate and personal relationship with God, I would have to be 100% completely honest with Him in EVERYTHING. This means when I am feeling weak, sad, happy, etc. It doesn't matter.

 I promised to Him that I would just be honest with Him in whatever I was feeling. I made the decision to write down my feelings in my journal whenever I begin to start feeling overwhelmed with emotion or when I am feeling weak. It has helped me to understand myself better, and it has strengthened my relationship with God because it teaches me to reach for Him and seek Him in everything I go through. I now know that I don't have to go through anything alone. I don't have to push away my weak feelings and pretend they don't exist. I don't have to gather the little bit of strength I have and try to push forward by myself. God is there willing and ready to listen and take that load right off of my shoulders, and He does. He rescues me from myself and gives me the peace that I need to continue on. 

This is why I love Him so much. In my weak moments of despair, God gently reassures me that He loves me and that He's there. When I feel alone and hopeless, he constantly reminds me that He's there for me. His love for me surpasses ALL. Nobody else comes to my aid like my Father does. And He has been just that, my Father.

I was reading an article on prayer this morning in my devotional, and it asks, "If you were to give God a personal name while praying, what would you call Him?" I thought about my relationship with God and how to me He has constantly rescued me from my harmful thoughts, my fears and my doubts. I thought about how He rushes to my side to teach me and comfort me when I have weak moments. I thought about how He is my escape when no one else understands. The first word that came to my mind was "Rescuer". God is my rescuer and my peace. And for that I am forever thankful and grateful that He loves me that much.

xo

I want to ask you all the same question...If you were to give God a personal name, what would you call Him and why?