Tag Archives: remember what God says

God’s Ultimate Goal & the Point of This Crazy Life

Doing, doing, doing…

Being 2021, I’d venture to guess that I’m not the only one whose head sometimes spins with all there is to do and learn and understand. So many expectations and obligations. So many good things we want to do. A never-ending list of things to research, discuss, and understand.

Sometimes it’s enough to tempt me to pack up my family and move to an isolated, technology-free mountaintop (although I hear that comes with its own challenges 😉).

Although my mountaintop backup plan frequently sounds appealing, I won’t be packing up anytime soon. Why?

Because then I’d be missing the point.

And what is the point, you may ask?

As a Christian, the point of this crazy life is to love and be loved by God, and then let that love spill out onto others as we attempt to lead them toward Him.

Hard (though maybe not impossible) to do from a mountaintop.

When I get too busy, I have to slow down and remind myself of these truths. If the things I’m busying my life and mind with aren’t furthering these main points, I need to reevaluate and prune some things off my to-do list to make space for the best things.

It’s easy to get bogged down. It’s easy to feel like God is silent. Like God is small.

In those difficult times, we have to remember. Remember his promises. Remember how he’s shown up in the past. Talk to others and hear their God-stories for inspiration. Remember that he is still active, present, and guiding our steps. Remember how much he loves you. Why is it so easy to forget?

Even if you’re not busy physically, you may be mentally exhausted—this is often harder to bear. Believe it or not, our brains aren’t designed to carry the burdens of the world or make sense of it all. Thankfully, that’s God’s job. But sometimes the madness of the world on top of our busy lives and minds is overwhelming. Life is hard. Why doesn’t he just make it all stop?

Because his ultimate goal is to bring all into relationship with him so that none shall perish. Because our comfort here and now is not the main goal. Because earth is not our home. Too often, people don’t pay attention until hard things happen. Hard things mean the harvest is ripening.

2 Peter 3:9 says it like this, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Like it or not, my pastor pointed out in a recent sermon that since COVID hit, more people have heard the gospel than in multiple previous years combined. God is working all things for our eternal good, even when the process here and now feels like a mess.

God knows best.

When I stop trying to steer the boat and get in step with his purposes instead of charging ahead with my own, the main goal comes into focus. Not that my personal goals or intentions are not good, they’re just not always the best. And he knows best, even when it doesn’t feel like it. And heads up—sometimes our feelings are liars. That’s why we need to be grounded in truth beyond ourselves.

That’s why we need to keep the main goal in mind.

Earth, pain, suffering, and busy lives and minds are temporary.

God is eternal.

Let’s put our focus on loving God, loving others, and reflecting him to those around us. We can trust him to guide our steps and provide as we faithfully keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Do you ever struggle to keep the main goals in sight? What have you found that helps you keep this eternal perspective? I’d love to hear your experiences and thoughts in the comments below! And if you could use a reminder of the Holy Spirit’s power and goodness in the form of fiction, I invite you to check out my novel, Power Up. It is designed for tweens and teens, but adults have seemed to really resonate with it too.

4 Ways to Reclaim Your Inspiration

Do you ever get the feeling at the end of a day, week, or even year that life is passing you by without your consent? Without your full participation?

Maybe it feels like life is so full of the must-dos that there’s no time for the want-tos. Maybe you routinely wake up, go to work or school, take care of the house and/or family, and by the time you check off all the boxes of adulting for the day, it’s time to do it all over again.

You find yourself going through the motions of life like a robot with none of the zest for life you had “back in the day.”

“That’s life,” people say.

“You gotta do what you gotta do,” they say as they throw up their hands, feeling as lost as you do.

You’ve lost your motivation because you can’t find your inspiration.

I’ve been there. Much of the toddler years of my kids’ lives felt that way. Maybe due to sleep deprivation. Maybe due to the fact that you can’t form a coherent thought when you’re hanging out with toddlers all day. I’m not complaining—I’ve loved my time at home with my kids, but there are certainly seasons of life more…shall we say…life giving than others.

This is for those of us who lose sight of the inspiration we so desperately need in order to obtain a fulfilling life.

If this is where you find yourself today, or have found yourself in the past, I’m speaking to you. And I’m most certainly speaking to myself.

Four Ways to Reclaim Your Inspiration:

1.  Be still. Some people claim they’re always busy as if it’s a badge of honor. It’s not. You will never find inspiration if your mind is crammed full of everything under the sun.

Make margin in your life—it’s not your job to take care of everything under the sun. Clear your mind long enough to let the peace of God and the voice of the Spirit calm and guide you. This will allow you to remember what really matters and direct your focus.

2.  Speak affirmations. For whatever reason, there is power in speaking truth out loud. Talk back to the negativity that tries to take root in your mind.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started: “I have power, love, and a sound mind.” (from 2 Timothy 1:7), “I delight in God. He fulfills the desires of my heart.” (from Psalms 37:4), or “God fills me with joy and peace as I trust in him.” (from Romans 15:13).

Practice speaking affirmations such as these and you will soon find that you have more confidence in God and in yourself.

3.  Remember what God says. Yes, this sort of overlaps with point #2, except where point #2 focuses more on who YOU are in God, this one suggests focusing more on GOD alone. His timeless truths and promises for our lives.

My favorite way to remember the truths of God is through music. Contrary to popular belief, there actually is a lot of great Christian music out there. (Lauren Daigle is one of my favorites and my 10 year old daughter thought it was Adele when she heard her on the radio!)

Good music is a great way to flood inspiration back into our hearts and minds. Other ways include reading the Bible or reaching out to a friend who can speak the truth of God into your life.

4.  Just do it! (And no, I’m not trying to get into any Nike controversy, I promise.) Sometimes you just have to be bold and do something new or unexpected. Have you been wanting to learn piano for years? No time like the present! Have you been wanting to start a Bible study with your friends? Call them today! Doing new things brings a rush of life back into your soul like few other things can.

My challenge to you (and to myself) is to be proactive and try out these four tips this week—see if some inspiration doesn’t come creeping back into your life. I pray that each of us would breathe new life as we seek to understand the vision and good plans God has for our lives, grab hold with both hands, and not look back.

I would love to hear what you think! Leave me a comment below to share your thoughts! And while you’re at it (if you haven’t already), head on over to the subscribe button and drop your email address so you can receive future posts directly to your inbox. Thanks for reading!