Our Wild Lives...

Have you ever had one of those weeks where it doesn’t seem you can do any one thing very well because of all the many things on your plate that are demanding so much attention? This has seemed like one of those times for me...it’s been a crazy week of meetings for which to prepare, phone calls to make, thank you’s to write, special initiatives to pursue, messages and bulletins to get ready, people to meet, books to read, groups to lead, people to encourage and more. Unfortunately, I can assure you that my desk at work and my “pile” at home look like it, too!

Sometimes life can be like this for all of us—a whirlwind of time and space all squished together into a bundle of activity and “git ‘r done.” Other times, and not always because of factors chosen by us, life slows down (or we slow it down) and we rest...contemplate...come aware of our hearts and realize the new work that God is doing within us.

Several years ago I spent some extended time on retreat with the Lord where I felt that God gave me my personal vision for life. It took some effort to get it to say just what was on my heart, but once complete I felt I had a timeless guide for the remainder of my life that would remain true no matter what. With humility I’d like to share it with you today:

By God’s grace, I fully intend to fulfill the vision that God has placed in my heart to mend broken people in Jesus’ name, equip them to understand their God-given potential, and deploy them into the world to be change agents for Christ. I commit whatever it takes to bring this God-vision within me to reality, no matter what, no matter who comes or goes. I will seek to partner with others who share this vision, but “if none go with me, still I must follow.”

Might I humbly challenge: For what do YOU stand? What is it that YOU are to do, no matter what? How does God fit into it? Does he at all? Wherever you are on this journey, God calls you to discover your purposes for living and find your center of being in Him. Don’t waste your precious life on thin things that do not satisfy like the pursuit of belongings or happiness! Instead, take some time and ask the Lord to show you His vision for your life. To help you, ponder in prayer the words of poet Mary Oliver, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

Lookin’ Up, Pastarod