Monday, August 16, 2010

What is your God Given talent?

I'll begin by saying that my journey of loving to write goes back a long way. But, just recently, has my journey taken me in a new direction, an ability to write for others. I used to write when I was sad, hurt, or upset about something, and now writing has turned in to more of a learning experience and sharing that learning experience with other women who may be going through or have gone through the same thing.


It was the spring of 2006 when I finally opened my ears, eyes, and heart to God. I was 23. Now, let me clarify. I have been a Christian for a long time, I was baptized when I was in the 8th grade and my parents had me and my sister in church every Sunday school, service, Sunday night service, and Wednesday night. To this day, I am grateful for that. But, like most young women, we get out, go to college, venture off, try to figure this whole thing called life, out on our own. And, as we are dreamers, we do not anticipate MANY of life's failures and heartaches before us. While all this time, God stands right beside us, ready with open arms, for us to come running to him for comfort, compassion, wholeness.


I remember I had just gotten out of a serious relationship, that I felt, was going no where fast. I lived in Dothan, AL and had moved in to an apartment all on my own. Luckily for me, my very good friend from high school, Ryan, had moved to Dothan as well for his job and we ended up living in the same apartment complex. Ryan had already started attending a church there: Ridgecrest Baptist church, and I knew I longed for something to speak to my heart. I was hanging out at my friends apartment one day and we were talking about life and God and the decisions that I was hoping to make and a future that I longed for. There was a service on tv from the very same church that Ryan had been, and, after watching that, I knew my life would never be the same.


I felt like I was the only person in the world watching this tv, like the Pastor created a service especially for me, unbenounced, it was my Heavenly Father knowing that I would be in this very moment at that exact time. He talked about God's plan for our life and sometimes that a path God has laid for us, others just cannot follow. That we should never be afraid to trust God, to talk to Him, to seek him and ask Him what His will is for our life? WHERE DOES GOD WANT US??!! Although it is hard to let go and to trust an almighty God, that God is still God, and that He will never lead us down a path that was not laid out by Him, for Him. I attended church the next several Sunday mornings and I felt a glorious relief come over me, a new start, a fresh life, a new relationship with a best friend that I knew I had missed for a couple of years. I remember a message the Pastor preached one Sunday about Paul's thorn in the flesh:
"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, [1] a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12: 7-9
When I am weak, GOD IS STRONG!!!!! That passage stuck with me the next couple of weeks, to know that I was facing a weakness, an insecurity I had, something I knew I had to let go of. For me, pride was my thorn. I was trying to figure life out on my own, without God's help, I was going to figure out my situation by myself, without the help of anyone. And the brick walls just kept coming!! ;o)


I wish that I could remember every single word of those next messages those couple of weeks, but as they were over 4 years ago, I can barely remember what I did last week. =) But, they were, my jump start right in to a relationship with a God that I had missed for several years, and it was one of the greatest feelings I have ever felt. That was just the beginning of a great relationship that I was really going to build for the rest of my life!


My point in telling that, was that God never made us to "stand still" and change is never easy. I made changes in my life and those changes greatly carried me down a path that brought me closer to God even to this day. I certainly don't claim to be perfect and when I say that I'm a Christian it doesn't mean that I am perfect, it means that I was made perfect in Him, it doesn't mean that I never say the wrong thing, it just means that God is speaking on my behalf, and as always, it doesn't mean that we never mess up, it just means that I serve a humbling God who is teaching me something new about myself, my character, and my love for Him every single day.


Now, there were about 50 life experiences between 2006 and now, Ha! and I wish that I had time to write about all of them, but I at least wanted to share my basis for what I long to write about now, and as the desire on my heart comes to write about something else, I'm sure those experiences will help narrate.


Until we write again, know that you are safe in Him.


Lisa