When believers think about the will of God, it becomes this secret path that is already carved out for us and we spend our whole lives trying to figure out what this path is. Should I move here or there; should I take job A or job B; should I buy this house or not. What I learned was based on Matthew 6:
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.What this essentially says is that God's will for our lives is to seek Him. Behind loving and seeking God is loving people. Whatever decisions we make in life, whatever path we choose, it can't take us out of His will as long as we do these things. Because doing these things will always place you in the will of God for your life. If God takes care of the birds and the flowers are dressed every morning then how much more will He care for us? I decided to let go of my ship and I have never felt more FREE. I have absolutely NO idea what I'm doing at this point but the peace that I have truly does surpass all understanding. I learned to really trust Him. Everything will work out, this I know.
God's will for our lives is to grow in Christ-likeness. It's not what we do, but who we BECOME. And even during the times where we feel like we've made bad decisions and went down the wrong path, those events in our lives have shaped us, molded us, strengthened us, and helped us build character. I can honestly say that the last 9 months have been life changing for me. Although the things I've gone through were traumatic for me, I can see that I'm certainly not the same Jessica that I was then. A part of me that once lied dormant is now awakened. And a part of that Jessica also died. I feel more alive than I was before if that makes any sense. At the same time I'm still grieving/mourning/healing from things I KNOW and I'm CONFIDENT that everything will be ok. And if you're going through, know that:
While I was going through a lot of things, I thought maybe "this is all because I am out of His will". But on the other side of it I saw that everything I've been through is exactly what was in His will for my life. Had I not gone through some of the things I went through, I would have never been able to share my story with others to offer them hope or to encourage others who were literally on the brink of self destruction. And you don't go through just for the sake of getting a testimony. It CHANGES you. There is healing at the end of all sufferings. Job was a mighty man of God and even he had to go through. A lot of what made me hold on while I was going through came from the book of Job. (that's all for another entry)I try to keep God first in everything that I do in life and to genuinely love people. I am human and at times I fail at that but I'm grateful for His grace and mercy that carries me and forgives me. All I want you to get from this is that you don't have to live your life in fear of being out of God's will. ALL you have to do is seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. The jobs that you think you want so much, the house, the happiness the relationship, the children, etc. .....it ALL falls into place. Don't worry about what tomorrow brings. Trust Him today. And tomorrow, do it all over again. Love God and Love people. That is His will for your life. You can carry that out whether you take the job in Denver or stay in Florida. Whether you marry or not. Whether you are a heart surgeon or a high school drop out. There is no price that you can put on the happiness and the fulfillment that comes from Loving God, Loving people, and doing what's right. Sometimes a job or a relationship will take you away from doing that and you can't be afraid to let it go. But know that God will NEVER leave you.
"Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears" -Les Brown "Too 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5). 2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing James 1:2-4
