Making an impact

I believe that when God does something miraculous in your life, you should share it. I believe that everything that happens to us in this life has a distinct purpose, not only for us, but for all others who could possibly be influenced by our circumstances and the roads that we choose to take.

So then, I guess what I'm saying is that we should count it not only a responsibility as a believer but also a blessing that God gives us the opportunity on a pretty regular basis to have an impact on those around us.

I find myself asking God quite often to use me. I never really know how or when but I know that God has a purpose for me. I guess I always assume that He's going to give me some platform where I can be used to reach people for His kingdom. That would be fabulous and I would love nothing more, however, lately I have felt Him pressing on my heart the idea that He doesn't always need for His children to be standing in front of rooms full of people. Sometimes where He really needs us the most is right where we are.

God recently opened my eyes to the fact that I really do have an influence on the people in my life. When God allows one of His children to experience a difficult time in their life, He undoubtedly uses that situation to make them better, stronger followers. But what if He also uses that situation to allow them to be used to do work for His kingdom?

When you experience a rough spot in life, you tend to get thrust into the spotlight. Not because the people in your life want to put your hurt on display, but the opposite actually. They want to help you, check on you, make you better. So, you start to get more phone calls, more visits, more interaction with the people in your life. They watch you to make sure you're ok. They listen to you ramble on and on about your hurt. They give you advice. They wipe your tears. They tell you it will all be ok, even if they're not sure it will. That's what family is for.

Then, after all of the advice from every different opinion, they watch to see which road you choose. Do you take the advice that says to pray? Do you take the advice that says to move on with your life? Do you take the advice that says to go this way? Or that way? No doubt everyone doesn't have the same advice. It can be confusing for sure. After all, all of these people who love you so much just want to tell you what they think is the absolute BEST way to go. They want to see you happy, to see you smile again.

In the end, you are left with a choice. Which road to take....

You will ultimately take the road that is best for you. Some people will be happy with your choice. You followed their advice. Others will be disappointed that you didn't do what they thought you should do. Others still will be certain that you've made a mistake and they will be the first to tell you. Remember, all of them love you. They want you to be happy...and we ALL think we're right most of the time.

I digress.

Back to the point...


What I am trying to say is that whatever road you choose in the end... The people who watched you go through the trial in your life will now watch you attempt to find your way back to peace. And this is where God can really use you if you are willing.

In moments of weakness and sadness, we all fall down. We all make mistakes. We all struggle to find the right way to handle our new circumstances. Its where we end up and how we get there that truly matters.

If we choose to follow God and see this thing through to the others side, accepting the fact that the outcome might not be exactly what we would have chosen for ourselves but will certainly be what God has chosen for us, then we are given the opportunity to show the people in our lives what it truly means to trust God. No matter what.

Its easy to say that we trust God when life is rosy. But we only get the opportunity to truly put that trust on display for others to see when we experience a trial that puts our lives and our choices on display also. The people who know and love you the most in the world get to see which road you choose first hand. Some of them will agree, others will disagree. But in the end what matters is that YOU made the choice not based on what was going to make you "happy", but you made it based on the fact that you know that God is a loving God and He wants you to be happy, therefore whatever it is that He has for you has to be good. You can trust him.

In my experience, I learned that trusting God was a lot easier said than done. Trusting God meant that I had to step outside of my comfort zone and tell God that even if He didn't give me what I was asking for, I would accept that and try to find peace because I trust that His plan is what is best for me.

The easy road would have been to pray every night for God to give me what I wanted...and sometimes I did. However, I had to get to a place where I could honestly tell God that even if I didn't get what I wanted, I was still going to be ok because I know that He loves me and His plan is what I want for me. His plan is what is best for me. Oddly enough, it seems that getting to that place was really what God's goal was for me all along. It wasn't as much about the end result as it was about the journey. God wanted me to totally surrender to Him. When I finally did (after a lot of struggle) He answered my prayers in a BIG way. He gave me the understanding that even when things don't go my way, as long as He is first in my life, I will be fine. There is no reason to worry or fear the unknown.

By no means am I saying that I've mastered that trust yet. I'm a work in progress. But it feels so good to know that my little life is in the hands of a mighty savior.