This is guest post by fellow Tribe Writer, Kandi Johnson. She is a writer, blogger, published author, and a certified health coach. Her blog celebrates life by offering people hope and inspiration from God’s perspective. Please check it out and sign up for her email list at kandijohnson.com. She also has a 5-star rated book at Amazon.com called Healing Anorexia: Learning Acceptance by Embracing God’s Love.
[dropcap]Do[/dropcap] you question if what you do REALLY matters? Who it matters to? Is there a REASON that you not only exist but that there is something directing the paths of your days, hours, minutes? I often question this myself. As one who has served in many aspects of ministry leadership, I feel the weight of “making my life count”, and yet often find myself wandering aimlessly through days, and without notice, seasons and years pass by too quickly.
Recently, I had the awesome responsibility of writing the obituary for my mother, who passed away at the age of 92. My mother spent her entire life as a Pastor’s wife, as well as holding numerous church leadership positions. How would I sum up the life of such an amazing person who meant everything to you, as well as impacted the lives of so many around her, in 300 words? As I considered her life (in chronological order), I realized that it was best to sum up her life based upon her favorite scripture, then expand from there. At the top of the page, I penned Proverbs 3:5,6 which said “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not to thy own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” As I considered this wisdom, I was able to grasp the true meaning of what her life meant, because she LIVED this scripture – she TRUSTED, ACKNOWLEDGED and allowed God to DIRECT her life.
TRUST
Are you trusting in God? Do you trust that He will not only provide the basics for you but also give you the desires of your heart? Do you realize that Trust is rooted in Faith and is displayed by an optimistic outlook on life? In Jeremiah 17:7 (NIV), scripture tells us that “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord…” When we view our lives with a negative outlook, we are not trusting in God.
ACKNOWLEDGE
Do you acknowledge God each day? “Do you give God credit where credit is due, or do you say you were “lucky” or “the stars were in alignment”? Acknowledging God is also known as having a grateful heart and giving thanks to God. Psalm 100:4,5 (NIV) says “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” When we greet each day with a thankful heart and go through each moment with a heart of appreciation, we not only have a more peaceful day, but we grasp a glimpse of our purpose in life, often in the eyes of others.
Do you give Him credit where credit is due, or do you say you were “lucky”Click To TweetDIRECT
Do you allow God to direct your life, or do you want to hang on to the wheel? Psalm 25:4 (NIV) says “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Instead of walking through each day in a fog, choose to make the most of each day by allowing God to guide you to His path – no matter what your tasks or day looks like. Give your best because EVERYTHING you do is for Him.
As the scripture says in Proverbs – “In ALL your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths”. When He is directing your path (which He IS when you acknowledge Him), you will find yourself looking back on your day and realizing that you did have meaningful encounters that you hadn’t planned, and your life, for that day, fulfilled His purpose.
Kandi Johnson, The Vibrant Author
www.kandijohnson.com