Friday, September 9, 2011

Thankful for the Lord's Leadership

I am so thankful for how God leads us, even if it doesn't make sense most of the time. It is amazing how much you grow in appreciation for the little things when the little things are taken from you. I am so grateful to the Lord for friends, family, and for His presence. I am thankful for the ability to walk and to do my own laundry. I am thankful for people who speak into my life even when what they are saying is hard for me to hear. Life isn't about the destination, it's about the journey, and God doesn't care how fast we get there, He only cares what state we're in when we arrive. When I get there someday, I hope that I hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of Your Lord." I am thankful that He is so gentle and patient with us and He doesn't mind if we fumble around to get our footing sometimes. Ultimately, we come up leaning on Him.

It is amazing how many times when you prophesy over people, the Lord takes the opportunity to give a word to you through the Holy Spirit who teaches all things. That happened to me the other night. I gave a word to this guy about racing cars and how the pit stop was just as important in the race as the actual time on the track. The mechanics have to change the tires, align them, tune the motor, fill up with gas, check the oil, etc. Time is the essence even in the pit stop. It's not a break from the race--it's still the race itself.

I used the think that any time I was hindered from doing, that I was being "benched"--out on injury, but if we find our identity in being, then we are not merely "benchwarming" when we're not doing. I hate benchwarming. I always want to be a starter in the game, but sometimes God shakes your foundations to bring refocus and realignment to your life.

No matter what season of life you are in, or what you are capable of doing, you can always pray. A friend of mine Jeff always says, "Life is one long conversation with God." Sometimes seasons don't allow for us to be in the prayer room, but every season allows for us to pray. You can always talk to God, and you can always "be" in His presence. It's a hard lesson to learn sometimes, but it is so valuable. God cares more about our character than what we can do for Him. It's amazing when you see the true heart of the Father and how affectionate He is even in his correction. The Father disciplines those He loves, and yet He is so gentle and meek when He does it. His gentleness makes us great.

It's been 3 months since my back injury, and I am still recovering, but I am so grateful to the Lord for everything He has done in my life. My heart is so tender right now. Sometimes life can be a pressure cooker, but as my dad Mike says, "Pressure cookers make you tender."

The Lord is teaching me to give to subtle cues of the bit, just like a powerful racehorse that has to shut-down and turn at the drop of a hat. We have to learn to give to subtle cues if we want to win the race. Another friend of mine, Bev challenged me one time, "Do you want to be a wild stallion or do you want to be a horse the King can ride on?" I definitely want to be the latter. I want to be a horse the King of Glory can ride on.

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