Destiny...

The Word Destiny has been pouring in me a lot lately. It has been preached on it seems like a lot lately, and I am been trying to live out what I feel like my destiny should be, while learning in the process.

We as humans have a destiny for our lives. Sometimes we feel that someone else can do better than we can. God gives us each a set of talents and gifts that he wants us to use for his glory. Our gifts and talents were made just for us, and they are like no other persons. He has fearfully and wonderfully made each and every one of us to fulfill our destiny, but we have to choose to do so. I have realized my destiny lately, but that has not come without sacrifice. I have had to grow and obviously that growing is not complete yet. I have chosen not to fret, and to go through the process doing the best and giving my best. I know he will turn it around. I dont know where I will end up and what I will be doing, but I know he has me in his hand.

Last Spring at The Torch, I took the bible study called Easter with a group of ladies there. Wonderful study, but I had missed the last week and had not finished the study completely and had not gotten to it till last night. God new I needed it then. There were three verses that just struck my heart that I wanted to share.

In this day, Beth had been talking about providence. It was so powerful. The first one was Eph. 1:11. This verse says that he works out everything. It may not be in our ways or time, but it works out. He works out providence Universally in this verse. Phil. 2:13 says for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. See, I know I am called, but I just dont know where I am going at this point. The assurance I do have is that I know God is walking beside me, and that is certainly enough to keep me going.

Its not easy, but I have to keep the faith in myself to keep going and get through it all. He works providence out personally in our lifes in this verse. Romans 8:28 says that all things work together for those who love God and are called according to his purposes. Everything will work according to his will for my life, but I just have to choose to follow. He works out providence benefically in this verse for us, but also mercy. He knows we will mess up before we start on the journey. Everything happens for a reason, so coincidence is ruled out by providence.

Beth also brought up a saying that has been said many times, but it spoke volumes to me more than ever last night. She asked us if we beleived in the phrase, (Alls well that ends well), and certainly I feel that Esther lived this out with fasting and prayer to get through the journey God had put her on. She fought through hardship and times of desperation. That is where I feel like I am at now. I need to know direction right now, and I need God to open the doors that he wants to open. I dont know what is behind those doors, but I will follow. Alls well that will end well only if I keep God apart of the journey and trust in him to direct me along the way.

As she went on in this week of study there was one more thing that took my heart by surprise. She gave a qoute by Eugene Peterson that I will not soon forget,"Story does not tell us something and leave it there, it invites our anticipation. A good storyteller gathers us into the story. We feel the emotions, get caught up in the drama, identify with the characters. Honest stories respect our freedom, they dont minipulate us. They bring us into the spacoius world in which God creates and saves and blesses.... they offer us a place in the story, invite us into the large stroy that takes place under the broad skies of Gods purposes...". the story of Esther certainly does this, but this also applies to every day life. God knows the story of our lives, but we sometimes are just not able to see the over all picture. It takes us a while to get to the over all picture of why sometimes God does things in our lifes. Sometimes we get caught up in the emotions and drama of life that we get our minds on other things, but thankfully he knows us as the character on this journey and he is not willing to give up on us and give us grace in a brand new day.

So today I will beleive in God to fullfill the purposes of my life even when i dont here him because he is silent. The sun is always not going to shine in our lifes. There are always going to be good and bad times, but even if I dont feel his love in the bad times, he is still there with arms wide open saying come on in. I am here. You just have to come a little further. Quote by Beth that says, "God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes", and personally I have been doing this a lot lately. Let go and letting God. It has become easier the more I do it. The More we give to him, the more of him we get. I am ready to get all of him no matter what it takes. The question is, "Are you on board for the destiny God has for you".

God Bless Kelly