This weekend I had the pleasure of meeting with an amazing young woman who also happens to follow this blog and be a writer herself! I was so encouraged by this meeting I even posted a status on FB.
I was most encouraged b/c our spiritual paths were so similar. We had been tested in similar ways in the same areas of our hearts and thankfully, we both passed those tests! I was a little concerned about sharing my story with her, not being sure if it would offer much hope. But she was hopeful and I could see in her eyes it was b/c she desired what was most important.
She desired to do the will of the Father.
I shared with her the struggle my friends and I have had on this path of surrender and waiting on the Lord mostly b/c there aren’t many mentors who have walked this same path to guide us. We have been mentored simply by the Holy Spirit in this area of relationships. And of course He is enough, but sometimes you want His hands and feet to reach out and help you along in the form of His body. My new found friend encouraged me and said that although I did not have many ahead of me to guide me, I could now help those who were walking behind me. This was great encouragement. Oftentimes when we are walking by faith and following our course, we only experience the rough terrain and the rocky mountains. We do not think about how our perseverance to push forward is actually paving a way for those who are coming behind. Yet, there are people coming behind us and as a result of our endurance, it can be a little easier for them to endure. They can learn from our mistakes and they can use our wisdom to navigate the twisting turns of faith up ahead. Upon leaving our rendezvous I shared what had been on my heart for a while now: “When I think about this world, I must ask myself, do I believe there is life after this life? And if I believe there is life after this life then I must make choices that are storing up my riches in heaven. Because the next life is eternal and this world is passing away“. She wholeheartedly agreed stating that we must choose to die.
Everyday.
I received some news prior to our meeting that one of our church members had unexpectedly passed away. When I heard this news the first thing on my heart was, “We must be about our Father’s business” and “We must work while it is still day”. This word in my heart inspired by this event was confirmation of what we are learning in our little fellowship in this season. We are learning not just to wait for the hereafter, but we are learning to live out of eternity in the here and now.
There is only one man who did this perfectly and that was Jesus Christ. He understood this world was not His home. But He also understood the earth was given to man to have dominion over, so He was busy teaching His disciples and completing the assignments that were given to Him so that His legacy could be carried out into all of the world.
And it was.
We are now His hands and feet. We are now the chosen ones. We are now the ones who rule from heaven and legislate in the earth.
On another note, please check out my FIRST magazine article contributed for Shattered Magazine.
SHALOM!