Nod your head if you ever question your direction in life.

God, what am I doing here and where the heck am I going?

Nod your head if you ever question your direction in life.  Nod your head twice if you ever feel like you aren’t where Jesus wants you to be, doing what He wants you to. Keep reading if you’d like to read some good news about your life, where it’s headed and what God’s up to in all of it.

When I was in college I studied Sociology in the hopes to either go abroad or to the inner city to make an impact for Jesus.  I had this idea that I would influence the world by being an advocate for the less fortunate or being a mentor to inner city kids.  I left the college bubble excited and full of my romantic notions but it wasn’t long before the real world slapped me a good one.  No one was hiring in my field of interest.  I had to broaden my search and after months I had to take anything that came my way.

   

So, I became a Realtor’s assistant.  It was far from my dream job but it paid the bills.  I ended up staying in the field for 7 years.  As God led me on a completely different path than I had envisioned for myself I questioned if I was really where I was supposed to be.  My dreams of impacting people young and old for the Kingdom were still in my heart but far out of reach. Or so I thought at the time. 

 

After college I fell in love and got married.  My husband and I attended a church and were asked to get involved.  You name a church ministry and we were asked to help in it, from door greeters to Sunday school teachers to small group leaders.  To be honest we didn’t necessarily want to participate in some of these things.  We wanted to say no but somehow our mouths would always say yes!

These opportunities were huge spiritual growth opportunities.  Although I felt stuck in my “job” in Real Estate, God had us in training in that season and we didn’t even realize it. Our yes to the little things gave way to greater opportunities.  God began to entrust us with more and we were doing exactly what He had planned for that time in our lives.

Fast forward to 2012, my husband is now a worship leader and we are serving as youth pastors.  I see God unraveling my dreams before my eyes but even though we are serving in these different capacities I have learned an important lesson.  My idea of serving Jesus and living out His plans for my life have completely changed.   

Firstly, serving Jesus does not have to be your “career” as in being a missionary, working for a Christian organization or even just serving at Church.  While all of these things are good and awesome, limiting ourselves to grand exploits is a huge deception.  Jesus asks us to serve Him daily with our devotion, our love for Him as well as our love for others.   Mark 12:30-31 says, 

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.  There is no commandment greater than these.” 

 

If we aren’t in love with Jesus, or even trying to get to know Him, the loving others part won’t just come naturally.  Time with Jesus naturally means hearing from Him and catching the sound of His heartbeat.  He begins to put things in our hearts that are beyond ourselves like compassion for others that causes us to step out and actually do something to lift someone else up. 

Now I understand that serving Jesus can be as simple and beautiful as giving a homeless person the last five dollars in my wallet or visiting someone in the hospital.  It can be listening to a co-worker or fellow student as they pour out their life situation and praying with faith that Jesus would turn their situation around.  Serving Jesus can also be saying yes to an opportunity in church, at school, even at home in something where we can bless someone else.  Doing what Jesus asks is as easy as taking assessment of where He’s placed us today and making it count by lifting someone up and pointing them in God’s direction. It’s the little things we do out of obedience that propel us into the greater things God has for us. 

 

Now, about those big dreams and desires God puts in our hearts.  God deposits those things in our hearts for a reason to be lived out during a certain time.  I may not live these dreams or desires out in MY due time.  But I can always trust that He will not leave me hanging since He’s the one that put them there. And the kicker is that His timing for things almost never lines up with my timing.  BUT I’ve learned that His ways are ALWAYS better than my ways. Whenever I hear this verse, hope always rises in me that God’s not finished working out all He’s put in my heart.  Philippians 1:6 says,

 “I’m convinced that God, who began this good work in you, will carry it through to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Your time will come and when it comes you will look back at the little opportunities you said yes to and laugh.  Your creator knows exactly what He’s doing in your life and has you exactly where He wants you, doing what He wants you to do.  Make today count by listening to His heart and doing that little thing He’s asking you to for that person or in that situation.  Know that He cares for you, has not forgotten you and wants nothing more than for you to be close to His heart.  Smile because you are on your way to fulfilling all that God has for you by seizing today’s opportunities.  Laugh at any obstacles you see in your way because your future is going to be AWESOME and full of God’s power as you watch your natural collide with His supernatural ways to make things happen in your life!

Proverbs 3:5-6: “ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.”

~ Ammie Avolio