Hi Friends,
2020! What can we say? I pray it has been a year of growth, not just trials. I pray that it has been a year of learning to appreciate the small things of life, not taking it all for granted. I pray it has been a year that has pointed our hearts towards prayer and the true seeking of our Creator, not just trying to rely on others or ourselves. These are some of the things God has taught me this very challenging year. And the only reason it has not been a disastrous year is simply because I went through none of it on my own. Listen to God’s Word:
“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.” Micah 7:7 ESV
I will look to the Lord. Everything seems so much better when I look to my Lord. I begin to lift my perspective and, the things that were annoying me, lose their power over me. It’s like that story about the caterpillar and the butterfly. If we have a caterpillar perspective, if we are earthly minded only, then everything is scary. We crawl around in the dirt, looking at the looming grass sheaves above us, worried about all the predators around us. It is hard, dark and miserable having a caterpillar mentality. But as we grow in Christ, when He wraps us up in His cocoon of Love and transforms us into a beautiful butterfly, oh how wonderful life becomes. We fly high over all that dirt and it does not stain us. We glide over the grass and see it waving gracefully below us. And we outpace our predators so they cannot harm us.
I will wait for the God of my Salvation. As I said a couple of weeks ago, waiting is not a passive time. It is an opportunity to be actively serving God. As we wait, we “wait” on the Lord. That is, whatever He desires for us to think, say and do is what we learn to think, say and do. We serve Him, which usually means serving others. This is one of the reasons we are saved, after all, to love others in His Name. Waiting does not mean we sit around twiddling our thumbs. It means we look for how we can be a blessing to others as we become more and more aware of how blessed we already are in Christ. Perspective has a lot to do with this. If we are that caterpillar, then we might be tempted to feel like a victim…and if we are a victim, how can we help anyone else? Ahh, but if we learn to be the butterfly God is transforming us to be…then we are cooking with fire! Then even in the midst of waiting for God to do whatever it is we are waiting for Him to do, we can serve Him by serving others because our perspective will be much, much higher. Life won’t be about poor little me. It will be about the God of our Salvation…and if He can save us and give us Everlasting Life, then what else can’t He do?
I trust my God will hear me. Count your blessings. The New Year is an occasion to look back and see God’s hand in our lives up to the present. And it is also a time to look forward at what God can do in the coming year. He still makes all things NEW. And I am excited to see how many more doors God will open for me to become more and more like Him and to teach others more and more about Him. It probably won’t come in my timing. It most likely won’t come the way I imagined it would. But I know He continues to hear my prayers as He shapes my heart and uses me to spread the news about His Love and Grace.
Lord, I wait for the new. Waiting…once we learn to enjoy the whole ride, including the time we wait, all of life becomes the attraction. The whole journey becomes exciting…and we learn to eagerly anticipate each day with Hope knowing that God loves us and is working all things together for our good. This is the kind of life I have been experiencing, more and more, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. How about you? Then won’t you join me?
Until we meet again, keep lifting your eyes to God, He’s closer than you think.
Happy New Year!
May God’s blessings pour down upon
each of you in this coming year and beyond!
<>< Peace, Diane
