Right now Parker and I are in a very transitional time in our lives and our marriage. As we approach our one year anniversary many questions have come up and have had to be answered such as, where will we live, what is our plan for careers, when should we start a family, also, how can we serve the Lord right now? With so many answers waiting to be discovered it can be tempting to think that life is on hold, that some how we are in a waiting period that can be frittered or wished away.
Recently though, the Lord has been showing me that there is never a time when you are not waiting for something. When you are a child you want to be grown up, when you get older you desire a relationship or a career. Once you are married you wait for children and then for those children to grow and the cycle continues for another generation. As important as it is to plan for the future, we cannot let our anticipation of what is to come steal the joy of what our God is doing in the moment. These are some questions that I am considering in my own life and hopefully they can be an encouragement to you as well. :)
How am I growing in the Lord today?
It is so easy to think that we will have time for God later on and push off spending time in the word and in prayer every day. Our relationship with Christ has to be ongoing and personal. If we begin to put off our daily communication we will have less and less of a desire to grow and will be useless and ineffective in the lives of those around us. We need to take specific steps everyday to learn more of our Savior and become more like him.
Something specific to consider is getting an accountability partner. The Christian life was meant to be lived in community with the local church. The encouragement and accountability that we can receive from one another is invaluable. Seek someone out who is serious about growing in their faith and set up time to meet with them and check bases on your spiritual life. That way you can mutually encourage each other and see God work in both of your lives.
How can I show the gospel to those around me today?
In our busy lives it is so easy to get distracted from sharing the gospel with those around us. We go through our days coming in contact with so many people and never once think to share the good news inside of us. We need to make sure that the life we are living is consistent with the work that Christ has done for us so that the world around us can see the effect of the gospel in our lives. So many people are looking for answers to life's hard questions and we can show them the truth! When our lives are truly changed they will see the difference and be more willing to listen when we speak of our risen King.
Without a plan it is hard to change so come up with specific ways that you can show the gospel. For myself, people at work comment on my cheerful personality, Instead of taking to compliment for myself, I am trying to turn it into an opportunity to explain that I have hope in this life and the life to come so I can have true joy no matter what the circumstances.
How can I love my neighbor?
This is perhaps the easiest and hardest part of every day Christian living. For me, how can I show love to my husband has proved to be much harder question to answer then I first anticipated. True love is directly opposed to our human nature. Our selfishness is always creeping in and tempting us to put ourselves first. To daily die to self and make the needs and desires of those around us a top priority will be a continual struggle all of our live, but what are we doing about it today? As we grow closer to Christ and become more like him he will give us the ability and desire to truly love our neighbor.
These are things that I have been considering for myself and I hope they can be an encouragement to you all in whatever stage of waiting you are in. Ultimately our waiting will only be over when Christ returns set all things to rights. May we never lose sight of our eternal home as we travel through this temporary life.
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