My pastor said this last week,<\/p>\n
“If you’re not ready to kiss all you hold dear goodbye… You are not His disciple.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Yea. Ouch. Even worse… he backed it up with Scripture. Luke 14:33<\/a>. Double ouch.<\/p>\n
Pastor is in the midst of a 3 part series about using GPS (God’s Positioning System. I love how he ties modern day examples into his sermons. Makes it come alive and feel relevant in ways other pastors I’ve heard only dream about.) to find God’s direction for our lives.<\/p>\n
Pastor pointed out that our experiences and environment made us who we are today so that God could work through us. He also said that sometimes He asks us to suffer sometimes, because you won’t know how “real” you are until you pass through the fire and don’t waver.<\/p>\n
So…. how do I find God’s will for my life? According to pastor, I need to use AAA.<\/p>\n
Act upon what I already know. (Amos 3:3<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Align my heart with God. (Ps 37:4-5<\/a>; Eph 6:6<\/a>)<\/p>\n
Always confirm with Scripture. (Galatians 1:8-9<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Based on that, I believe I am right where God wants me to be. I am a wife, and a mother, and a child of God. I know that God has called me to be a wife<\/a>, because He gave me a husband who loves me deeply and is so the husband described in Ephesians<\/a>. DH loves me so much, it’s easy to submit<\/a> to his will. Which, if you keep reading the passage, is exactly how it should be.<\/p>\n
Since He saw fit to give me children, I am charged with their training. I’ve made my case for homeschooling before (see reason #2<\/a>), but really, Proverbs 22:6<\/a> says it all:<\/p>\n
“Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
But how can I be absolutely sure that this is where I should be? Well, I’ve “acted upon what I know” and “always confirmed it with Scripture.’ The Bible says, ” all things to work together for good to those who love God.” (Romans 8:28<\/a>) So, all I can do is trust God, listen to His Word, and step out on faith that He will use the choices I make to glory Him, no matter what. And if I do that, then I am “aligning my heart with God.”<\/p>\n
But, am I ready to “kiss all I love and hold dear goodbye”?\u00a0 Ouch.\u00a0 Well, as painful as it would be, I’m sure I get along just fine without my computers.\u00a0 And I already know from experience that, though it would hurt tremendously, I could indeed carry on if my husband were gone.\u00a0 In fact I do carry on when he is sent out to sea.\u00a0 It’s not easy, But God never said it would be.\u00a0 He said “Abundant<\/a>” meaning in great quantity.\u00a0 I like to think of the Christian life as a rollercoaster, full of ups and downs.\u00a0 At least God is the One in control, and you can trust that the safety equipment on His ride won’t ever fail, no matter how steep the hill.\u00a0 And that brings me to my kids.\u00a0 Could I give up my kids if He asked?\u00a0 Well, truth is, they are not mine to begin with.\u00a0 He gave them all to me as a gift.\u00a0 I am tasked to train them up so they will know Him, and know His will for their lives.\u00a0 Then I am to turn them loose, and let them live their own lives.\u00a0 At least two of them are called to leave their mother<\/a> and cleave to their future (very far off future hopefully) wife.\u00a0 So it’s already predestined that at some point I will have to let go.\u00a0 The only question is when?\u00a0 Will He allow me to have a full life with them, and bounce their children on my knees, fill them full of sugar, and then hand them back?\u00a0 Or will He call one or more of them home today?\u00a0 I don’t know, and frankly it’s better that way.<\/p>\n
So could I kiss my family goodbye today, if God asked me too?\u00a0 I’m honestly not sure I could, but thankfully, I’m not called to.\u00a0 God, in His infinite wisdom, knows that I need them more then they need me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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