Deeper, Still. It's a constant thought lately. The lyrics from "Good, Good Father" ring in my ears and stir something within me every time I sing them: Oh, it's love so undeniable The Lord waits for us to come to Him. He welcomes us with open arms no matter how we come to Him. In fact, we can't truly seek out and know our need for Him until we're broken. It's in our brokenness that we realize we have nothing and He has everything.
He takes us by the hand and leads us along. He's patient and waits for us, not rushing us, but definitely taking us at our word when we say, "I want to serve You, Lord..." When we truly seek to know Him better and to do His Will, we learn that surface submission and minimal effort are really no submission and no effort at all. The length of time between our surrender and our realization of what true surrender looks like is different for all of us. Some "get it" right away, others take years, and still others may never have that moment of true awareness. Surrender means opening His Word and seeing what it really says-- not what we want it to say, what we've been taught that it says, or what others believe it says. Surrender means being willing to change or re-think what we believe if it doesn't align with scripture. Surrender means putting our pride away and being willing to look foolish in order to obey and glorify God. Surrender means no longer being distracted by the cares of this world, but focusing on that which is eternal.
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It can feel like torture to carry a dream in your heart and feel like no one truly understands it. The deepest burning of your soul feels like it will burst out of you and you want to share it with someone. But what if that someone isn't available? For whatever reason, what if you get shut down (like I blogged about here), tuned out or misunderstood? Is it possible that sometimes God keeps you from sharing with others because he's working out something within you that is just between you and Him Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, 'He is out of his mind.'" Mark 3:30-21 Even Jesus' family thought He was crazy. That's a source of comfort, I hope, for those whose friends and family don't "get" them or their mission and passions.
Not everyone will understand what you're doing. That's okay. Not everyone will support your dream. That's okay. Not everyone will "get" your calling or assignment. That's okay. When we know who we are in the Lord, it matters less and less what others think. And even more comforting may be that at the end of His life, Jesus's mother and brothers joined Him (Acts 1:14). |
Mandy is:Wife to 1. Mom to 6. Lovin' Jesus. Living' Life. Laughin' at the craziness of it all. Archives
September 2017
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Mandy Pagano