Baby Steps

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

Experts have stated that individuals change more between 20 and 30 years of age than any other time in their lives. Often the hardest part of this growth is discerning between who God created us to be and who others say that we should be. We all want to please our parents, our grandparents, and we all hope that we will be a person of worth. How much time do we spend looking into the future imagining ourselves in this career or that? If you’re like me, we rarely looked backwards for direction.
Some of my darkest times have been when I am on my face before the Lord searching for direction, any type of leading from Him to tell me who I should be.
It has been at those times that the Lord has quietly reminded me of who I am. Gently, He has reminded me of all the experiences that have shaped me, all the characteristics that He has created in me. As the picture of who I am becomes clear so does my direction for the future. You see, God never makes mistakes, even the mistakes we make He uses to refine us. When I am honest about God’s work in my life I understand His presence and His calling. All other voices seem to fall away and I can be confident of my future.
How much more effective will we be when we are doing what we are uniquely created for? The path may seem narrow and lonely at first, but look at Noah, Moses, Esther, David, Mary, Peter and Paul. Each of them was called by God to do something that seemed crazy or at the very least, impossible. And yet God was faithful to his creation. Take stock of your life and spend time listening for His voice.
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10