No tags yet.
All things have a Purpose.
Everything in life is formed of a Purpose.
Whether it's what you make for dinner (using up those green beans, which have been sitting in the fridge for a week -- wait, when did you buy them?), why your son really can't wear shorts today (it was hailing only minutes ago!), or starting a blog, the purpose for which we do anything tells far more about who we are then what we possess, the mistakes we make, or the way we are perceived of others. And it is for that purpose, because I have the potential to impact lives with what I write, that I have conceived this post.
Seven years ago, I was searching for a church. Actually, I had been searching long before that, but at the start of this story, my son was still in my belly, my oldest daughter was two, and I was looking for a church home for our small family. One particular Sunday, I strolled into a nearby church, checked my daughter into her appropriate class, and sat within the sanctuary to await the morning service. The calling I had felt to attend that church was incredibly strong, yet I had for some reason been overlooking it in favor of others. Nevertheless, here I sat, but I was naive because a guest spoke that Sunday, and as I walked away, I determined that I would not return.
My purpose for not choosing this church before was, and still is, unclear to me, but each time I felt the nudge to go, I pushed it aside and instead chose another, and that reluctance cost me. I actually did find a church only a few weeks later, and it was a Godly church with an incredible preacher who encouraged and guided me for nearly a year, but all the while that I was attending, I knew I wasn't where I was meant to be.
When at last I yielded myself, bowed my stubborn will, and again attended the former church (almost four years later!), this time I was not disappointed. That Sunday when we visited, we (my children and I) knew we had found our church home, and we have been attending ever since. And one week later, my husband began attending with us. We currently, three years later, attend three or more services per week. My husband has since given his life to Christ, has been baptized, and is a member of the worship band; my daughter was also baptized and assists with children's worship. Our lives have been transformed.
I may not do all things right, but one thing I know: God can work all things for good, even if I don't at first listen when I ought. I may have disregarded Him the first time He pinpointed me to where I needed to be, but He was faithfully patient with my blunders and, nevertheless, guided me gently to where He wished for me to be. Yes, if I had listened before I would probably have saved myself some grief; my husband would likely have given himself to the Lord before he did, and my children would have gained earlier access to an excellent Children's Ministry. However, I know in this moment that I am exactly where He wants me to be; with that knowledge I am content.
I don't know or understand God's purpose in guiding me to write, whether by my novels or in this, my blog, but one thing I know for certain: He does indeed have a purpose, and if I yield my will to His, I will achieve greatness -- even if that means I will touch the lives of only a few. Greatness, to me, cannot be measured by the size of a bank account but instead, by the direction from which one's purpose is wrought.
"All things have a Purpose -- period!" And because all things have a purpose, so also does this blog: it is my purpose to show my readers exactly who I am. The photos which you see are not doctored or staged, nor is my writing, and although I will do my best to keep political and societal pressures out of my text, you will, nevertheless, see from these posts exactly who I am. There is nothing which disappoints me more than searching about my favorite author and being unable to learn who they are in truth. It is therefore my intent to show you what I believe (or rather, in Whom I believe) so that you, as readers, can know exactly who has written what you enjoy.