Life has been incredibly full for us the past few weeks. Moments with people we love. Time of growth in the Lord. We savor each opportunity we are given...
I don't ever remember a season of time where our family has been so hungry for more of Jesus. More of Who He is. More of Who He wants us to be. More of how we can grow in His likeness. And not just one or two of us, but ALL of us. It's been a season where we are eager to be in His Word.
Dwelling.
Abiding.
Resting.
Listening.
We find that the more we dwell, abide, rest & listen, the more we are compelled to change. The more imperfections we are awakened to. The more we are unsettled with self. The more we need Jesus. And the more He pours into us, the more we desire to pour out to others. Kyle, MaKayla & I are diligently praying over individual ministries that we feel God is calling us in to, so that we can invest the richness that God has invested in to us, into others. Exciting yet humbling.
MaKayla, although often questioned by others, still feels the Lord leading her to stay at home for the time being. The idea is foreign in our culture today yet God did say in His Word that when we are walking/following/living the Christ-life, we would be different. Set apart. Peculiar. We would go against the grain of society. The more times she is asked, the more confident she becomes in her response. :) And although her response isn't popular or rarely understood, the more times she is put on the spot to share, the more assured she is that she is doing what God wants her to do. He is truly stretching her & despite the pain & discomfort, she is determined to stay the course until He fully reveals what His distinct plan is for her life.
You see, MaKayla hasn't always had "this plan" for her life. Early on, (when her mom was constantly pushing for perfection & the highest goal in education) she longed for the college life. The elite career. The eclectic apartment. The fancy car. The status of succeeding. It was her longing. Her desire. Her dream. Family was optional. Fortune was paramount. Yet one day as she was coordinating a wedding for a friend, the littlest flower girl decided she didn't want to walk that isle herself so MaKayla scooped that petite tiny girl up & carried her down. As the little one wrapped her arm around MaKayla & looked into her eyes, it was at that point that the Lord struck a chord in her spirit. She knew at that moment that God didn't desire her to have the elite, eclectic, fancy, dream life. He desired her to love those well whom He someday would place in her life. For life isn't about money. Status. Image. Success. And MaKayla, knowing herself the way she does, knew that trying to accomplish one while weighing the other, would be an on-going battle. She's enough like her momma that when she does something, anything, she does it to the fullest. To the best of her ability. To as close to perfection as possible. The reality of weighing career with the higher calling of nurturing a family, would be next to impossible. One would win & the other would lose. And although the spirit is willing...the flesh is weak. One or the other would have to be released.
So today...
Although the road ahead seems a little foggy...
She waits.
She waits on the Lord to show her the way.
For He says He will.
And what He says He promises.
And His promises NEVER fail.
Kyle & I are thankful.
Thankful that she is listening & waiting.
Thankful that she is denying the pressure from others.
Thankful that she is resisting the popular choices of peers.
Thankful that God is enough for her at this moment in time.
Thankful that she is desiring the more of Christ.
As a friend & I chatted after worship on Sunday, I so long for the more...
More of Jesus.
So often we settle for the good instead of grasping the best...
The more...
Settling isn't an option...
Even if it means a wait.
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I pray to God—my life a prayer—
and wait for what he'll say and do.
My life's on the line before God, my Lord,
waiting and watching till morning,
waiting and watching till morning.
and wait for what he'll say and do.
My life's on the line before God, my Lord,
waiting and watching till morning,
waiting and watching till morning.
Psalm 130:5-6
The Message Bible