The thoughts I have had lately are about what I have been getting out of these past eight months since September to now and to April 14 when we arrival home. What will I think when I get home? Back last summer I planned out what and where I would go and some of the things I would do. Honestly, I did not know what I was getting into. First, with going to Summit and now with Brazil. I know that God put me on this path for a reason and in many ways I have not known exactly what that reason is. I think I will see it more later as I go onward in life and look back upon this experience and say, "Oh, that's why I was supposed to do this whole thing." But I am still on this journey and am attempting to hash out what it is that I am learning.
In the last two and a half months in particular I have spent a great deal of time thinking and praying about purpose in life and with trusting in God for control and security. As I experience a culture that is different from what I am used to, I see that there are obviously many ways to live out our purpose of glorifying God and enjoying Him forever. We do this by loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength in whatever we do. And we can do these different things in so many ways. We simply have to be here for God to use us. Then we follow His direction in whatever way He points us. And what great joy we can find when we do follow Him. Look out into creation and tell me you are not in wonder by what you see; tell me that you do not have a small explosion of joy when you experience the beauty of the mountains or ocean. This brings glory to God when we have this joy. It is just a glimpse of what is to come. His glory and His power and His holiness should cause us to naturally fulfill our purpose of enjoying Him and glorifying His name.
I believe that God commands us to enjoy life because life is a blessing from Him. So, enjoy life; enjoy it to the fullest in whatever you do but all the way glorifying God and recognizing that He is the one that allows you to enjoy life in such a way. Don't waste your life by sitting around and doing nothing or pursuing rotting earthy possessions. Instead keep your focus on heaven and on the things in this life that will last into the next. Invest in people because they are what will last. Use your heart to care for those around you. Grow in your love for Christ. Draw closer and closer to Him. Grow in your mind by studying and reading and learning. By reading the living Bible, we learn more about how to live like Christ. Pour out your soul to Christ. Give it all to Him and allow Him to transform your life. And utilizes your strength by allowing God to work through you in the things you do.
As God has taken me out of the American culture for a time, I can see things that I wish to change in my life. Mainly, I want to have a heavenly perspective in all that I do. I want to always have a mind like that of Christ who is always doing as the Father wills and is always thinking of things above. I am learning that there are so many things in life that God has given us that we can do to bring glory to Him and have immense joy. I want to live with this mindset all the time. My fear is that when I am put back into what I am normally used to that I will slowly slip back into a narrow mindset of materialism. My prayer is that God will give a similar desire of purpose to many people around me so together we can share this purpose for life.
While my thoughts are still rather scattered as I try to conclude this post, I hope that it has at least made you think about purpose. I am far from understanding all there is but I know that the more I grow in God the more I will learn. I would love to talk about these things with any of you when we get back home.
No comments:
Post a Comment