Kingdom Calling Blog…

Wow! I can’t believe that 2016 is almost over and the year has flown by…..

It’s that time of year for taking stock, reflecting, thinking and planning ahead.

What a year it has been! It will probably be remembered by many as the year that kept taking (all the musicians, actors, writers, legends and icons etc.) and on a personal note death has sadly featured in my life too.

But, that is just one aspect of 2016 and one that I am not going to dwell on as I choose to remember happy times with the family members that have passed on.

A year is a long time, 365 days to be precise and every one of them is important and every one of them a God given opportunity to show Jesus to the world around us. I have been guilty this year of not always appreciating this fact and too often counting down days until, wishing time would pass faster until, wishing it was the start of the holidays, the start of the weekend, the start of something new…      

                                                    Does any of this sound familiar to you?

I realise as I reflect back on the year that I have spent way too much time not making the most of each and every day that I have had the gift of living. I am always eager (slightly impatient shall we say!) to get to the fun stuff; the holidays, the ministry trip, the weekly course I serve on, time with the Lovely Mr B when we can go off on adventures and have realised that I actually need to live more in the here and now!

In actual fact, every day can be a fun adventure when you let God into the driving seat of your life and don’t keep trying to wrestle the wheel off him when things don’t go your way! I endeavour to live my life guided by the Holy Spirit and impacting those around me by showing them the love of Jesus that I carry as a daughter of the King. But, sometimes I am counting down until the next big thing and miss the little things that could potentially be the next big things!

As I think about the journey of my year and the growth I have seen God do in me as I wait expectantly for all the promises over my life to come to fruition I recognise that in the waiting I need to stop getting frustrated and so disappointed and just enjoy the everyday journey trusting that God’s timing is always perfect.

Jer 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

This is one of my life verses and gives me great trust in God and a feeling of complete security. But, I wrestle with wanting more of God and for his plans for my life to play out, (in my timing!!) I know in my head that God’s timing is ALWAYS perfect and I have to be patient in the waiting and keep getting on with living out my day to day life with Him.

Hab 2:3 Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed.

Do you struggle to balance your hunger for God and waiting for the promises over your life to come into fruition?

I have felt God reminding me lately about the story of Mary and Martha and how they responded so differently in the presence of Jesus when he visited their home.

Luke 10: 38-42  As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹ Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

⁴¹ But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! ⁴² There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

I hear him saying to me,

“Who are you in this story?” Gulp!

“There really is only one thing required!”

“Sit at my feet and spend time with me every day and let the jobs, distractions of life go.”

“There is only one thing that is required.”

“Are you prepared to do that?”

So, as I come into the New Year my focus is going to be on the one thing, the only thing that really matters and that is intimacy with my father.

I am going to dedicate myself to spending quality time in his presence and adoring him and I think I will find that all the things that worry me or that I’m impatient about will not seem so important anymore and I can just enjoy and live each day as it comes knowing that each and every day is a gift from the one I love.

As they say in the movies, 2016 that’s a wrap!