Today I received an email from the author Karen Kingsbury that I thought was so good and wanted to share it here as my first post after so many months...hope you enjoy it too!!
Who are You Living For?
Life
can be a funny thing when we get caught up pleasing someone else - even
ourselves. We can so easily get stuck on the things we want or even
think we need. The things other people expect of us. But in the madness
of life, in the chaos of climbing the ladder to success and trying to
live for the approval of others, and while counting the likes on
Facebook or the retweets on Twitter, we can forget to ask the Lord what
He wants for our lives.
Sometimes
things make sense on paper. The job seems like a perfect solution or an
opportunity comes at the perfect moment. Maybe a relationship starts by
filling a need, but then it starts to consume you. Even change you. And
maybe those changes aren't God's best for you. Even the best
opportunities and relationships may distract us from God's will.
Why do we move so hastily to connect the dots, fill the holes, and fix the issues in our lives? We
know that God's ways are far better than ours, yet too often we don't
surrender to His plan first. We don't even ask for His wisdom. Of
course, it's so easy to forget to seek His guidance when we move so
quickly.
Sometimes
all it takes is an intentional conversation with the Lord. "Hey, God. I
really want this opportunity. I really feel like I need this job or
that relationship. But ... what do You think?"
He
knows the desires of our hearts, but He wants to be our greatest
desire. The Bible says to seek first His kingdom - not our desires or
the desires of someone else. Seek first His kingdom and He'll take care
of the rest. Our goals and desires can easily become idols, and God
wants us to serve and worship only Him.
Let's
have God decide what we need. Let's rely on His opinion as we make
decisions for our lives. If we keep open hands around Him, He will give
back to us what He sees fit, and keep from us what He knows is holding
us back. Remember, His goal is that we experience life to the fullest - a
joyful life for Him and through His strength.
This
week, let's not worry what other people expect from us. Let's not judge
ourselves and our decisions by the reaction on social media. Instead,
let's seek God first. Let's lay our dreams, goals, and desires at the
feet of God and let's keep our hands open before Him.
Then we really can go through life free of the madness!
Verse for the Week:
- Proverbs 3:5-6
