Have you ever started something new and not been sure how it would all turn out? I hear ya. That is what this new adventure of writing a blog is all about. In my first post I mentioned that I heard a calling from God to share His wisdom by sharing what He has taught me through life’s ups and downs. The door opened to start a blog, so I walked through it. And so…I’ve got this new blog.
Have you ever had a preconceived notion of how God’s plan is supposed to work out? Good. I’m glad I’m not by myself. How about expectations of perfection from the very first step? Yay! You are my kind of people! As I looked at my expectations, my ideas for having a blog with instant and meteoric popularity were pretty grandiose. I’m so glad that I can objectively look at my motivations and quickly submit those thoughts to Christ as 2 Cor 10:5 teaches. This journey is about Jesus and the work He wants to do in my life and hopefully in the lives of others.
This is new ground for me. To not only get marching orders from God, but to also make the conscious choice to walk daily with Him as opposed to running ahead thinking He will bless everything I touch even if I don’t include Him in the decision making process. Ever been there? Exactly. I was blessed to come across a wonderful article on ambition from The High Calling. There is nothing wrong with wanting to do great things. We have many biblical role models for doing great things. That is not the point. The point is pride. My pride has the potential to be wrapped up in a polished and slick facade that gives the appearance of the utmost professionalism. The respect and adoration of others being prized above all. My temptation is to want you to stop by and see that I am a talented writer with a beautiful website. For you to be amazed by my beautiful and creative writing. For you to be touched by my insights and understanding. And, if I am being honest, for you to share what you have seen here in your own networks, thereby growing my popularity and lead to book deals, speaking engagements, etc. That is if I am really being honest about my motivations from time to time.
Well, God wants to know if I will share His wisdom even if there are no crowds. Even if this blog serves as a public diary with no readers beyond my friends and family.
There are some logistical realities that make it unrealistic for me being able to have a blog with all the bells and whistles right from the beginning. Ordinarily that would have kept me back, waiting for the perfect hour and situation before I took action on what God put in my heart. And in that process lose some of the intensity of what He put inside me. Like letting a delicious meal get cold.
This step of faith is my attempt to follow God on His terms and not mine. I would much rather present my offering with clean simplicity. Naked and humbly so that the message isn’t lost in the midst of the bells and whistles. More importantly, so that no one confuses the power of the message with the attractiveness the vehicle. For those of us who desire to follow God, but do it on our own terms, we are in for a lot of desert wandering, wondering where He is. But God is gracious, and can put an end to our wanderings if we take our eyes off of ourselves and keep them on Christ. So, here is my blog, naked and unadorned with bits of wisdom learned from my failings and shortcomings that He has redeemed. I hope it blesses you. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and join me on the journey of using God’s Word as our plumb line for living.