Vital

Joyce Meyer says “you’re not free if you’re living to please other people, and your’e not free if you’re constantly doing things you really don’t want to do, and your heart’s not in it”.

For so long I’ve lived like that. Feeding off the enjoyment, the buffet of people’s ready opinion, approval of how hard I worked. Being fueled by their respect, when in fact, I should only be following my heart, and what I think God has created me to do. But it is not easy. It is a button for me, that gets pushed, causing me anxiety when I think about letting someone down at work and with family too, but mostly with work.

I want to act in God’s liberty, and when I feel the anxiety come, to try to derail me, I am choosing to stand fast, and cling to God’s approval and leading.

I am always so fascinated by people’s inspiring stories of living life differently. Of taking the chance, stepping out into something their heart is in, instead of the regular, the norm. I think too many of us miss stepping out of the boat into the fire, to test our experience, or inexperience.

This morning I was reading Psalm 100, and it is easily one of my favourite chapters in the Bible. I want to commit it to memory.

“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all you lands (nations).
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing.
Know you that the LORD He is God: it is He that has made us, and not we ourselves;
we are His people,
and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
and into His courts with praise:
be thankful to Him,
and BLESS His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting;
and His truth endures to all generations.”

“Know you that the LORD is God: it is He that has made us, and not we ourselves” Wow, that is so humbling, in the most encouraging way!! It makes me laugh, knowing we aren’t on our own. We aren’t in this alone. We don’t have to figure out ourselves or our purpose on our own. Because we are made. Created by our Creator. And He’s in charge, not us.

“We are His people” – this is our identity. For all of us who struggle with our identity, there it is.

“and the sheep of His pasture” – we are like sheep, which are followers of their shepherd. So we are in His care. And we are in His pasture. His domain. His kingdom. His world. We have a place in His world, in His rest. Pastures are a place of rest, of repose. We all crave a place of rest in our souls, of belonging, of nurturing. Of healing and peace. And it’s there, in His Words (the Bible). It is the beginning and it is the end of all, above all. It is the power and authority over all.

“..for the LORD is Good.” Truth. He is good. Even when the world says He isn’t, He surely is.

“His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endures to all generations.” – Promise for our kid(s). He doesn’t go out of style.

So that’s it for this morning! Baby William has been having a record nap, but I think he’s up now, raring to go!

I think we’ll go out for some errands and maybe pick up a coffee (for me, not William)!

Happy Thursday everyone, hope your week is going well. I think we all feel like the week is almost over when we get this far. Yay for Fridays!

PS. This kid is always trying to get my phone!!!