You're on God's Mission!

Have you ever felt like "where you are" is a place where you are being hurt, undermined, not appreciated, and generally not treated in the way you want to be treated (or deserve to be treated)?

I have been feeling like that a lot lately!  I have been having loads of pity parties feeling sorry for myself.  I have become very resentful and negative.  I just really have not "appreciated" where I am!  Kinda self-centred right?!

The thing though is that when you get to this point you do not see the shine in anything.  You "feel" everybody is just taking what the want from you and not giving any "sugar" back!  It "feels" like a one-way street in everybody else's direction and not yours.

Then I read this....

Thank you @rachel7remnant for your words!

And then it hit me, like a ton of bricks.  This statement above put into perspective "where I am" and "why I am where I am".

• I am "where I am" because God has placed me in this mission field for His good purposes to be a witness and a help and encouragement.  I have been placed "where I am" for God's service!
• The "why" is for whatever purpose God has for me to do!  For example, if my husband feels rejected by his family, God has placed me "where I am" to show him complete acceptance of who he is, and to show him love and ultimately maybe God is teaching him through my obedience to His will, that not all those who are closest to him, will reject him... 

This statement above has done a few things for me:

1. It has given me instant perspective!  This is a mission field and the Lord has placed me "where I am" for His purposes
2. Its not about "me"!  Its not about what others can do for me, how others treat me!  No, its about what I can do for others, about how I treat others, so that "where I am" can further the Lord's purposes here on earth.
3. Instead of feeling "shame, woe is me," I feel empowered, I feel renewed, I feel as though I am part of God's army!  I am a soldier for Christ and my mission, my battlefield, is exactly "where I am."
4. I have a resurgence of joy.  I feel it bubbling up inside of me, and it has melted away all the resentment built up over time.  I finally have figured out that though I may not be a pastor, or a missionary, or biblical scholar, I am a foot-soldier on the Lord's business, in the mission field He has placed me in, my "where I am".
5. And peace.  I feel such peace already.  

Now, when I read 1 Corinth 13 vs 4 - 8(a):  (4) Love is patient and kind;  love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (5) or rude.  It does not insist on its own way;  it is not irritable or resentful;  (6) it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (7) Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  (8) Love never ends....   I see these words as tools, as weapons of spiritual warfare, and not self-denial.  I now see them as gifts from the Lord to do as He would have me do, "where I am".

I now understand what it means to "take back your authority in Christ."  My perspective has changed from being inward and self-focused, to being excited to go about God's work in the mission field He has placed me in and all those things that previously brought me down and hurt me, I can rebuke them for what they are, the devil's mind-games, with the authority given to me through Christ Jesus.

I hope I have encouraged you today to look at "where you are" and realise you are not there only for refining and painful growth, but you are also "where you are" as a soldier for Christ in the battle for the souls of His people.

God bless

Tracy

What are you doing with the Talents God has given you?

For the past year I have been back and forth with the whole digital detox thing and anyone who knows me well enough has probably rolled their eyes a time or two at me 👀.

A few months back I deleted my blog which had over 500 posts, it was 8 years old, and I deleted it "permanently"!  And then... a few days in, I regretted it.  Of course because I deleted it permanently, it was gone.  Fortunately I did download a copy of my blog, (but for the life of me, I am unable to get it to upload to my new blog), but still, for another few months I had this daily debate rage back and forth.  I deleted social media attached to it, started again with a new name, did not like it, changed it, regretted it, etc etc etc...  Such a lot of mental gymnastics for nothing.

Eventually, I did a sort of pros and cons list, and decided that unless the Lord told me otherwise, I would now, once and for all, delete the whole lot!

Next morning I get up and have my quiet time.  Before I start I drop a little prayer to the Lord, "if You don't want me to delete it all, let me know..." 

So, I read my bible, highlight, make notes, etc and then - I read Matthew 25.  When I read the following part of Matthew 25, I knew I had my answer and all my back and forth was over:

Matt 25 vs 14 - 30:  (Italics and highlights mine)

The Parable of the Talents

(14) “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. (15) To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. (16) He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. (17) So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. (18) But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.  

(19) Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. (20) And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’  (21) His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  (22) And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’  (23) His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  (24) He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, (25) so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’  (26) But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?  (27) Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.  (28) So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.  (29) For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  (30) And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather!  How much more of an answer does one need than that?!  I truly felt that having gone back and forth for months, making mountains out of molehills with regards to social media, the Lord had finally (in His perfect timing) shone a light on my path.

I want to take the "talent" that the Lord has given me and grow it for His glory and produce good fruit for His kingdom.  I do not want to be like the man who did nothing with what was given to him and thus, ultimately, it was taken away from him, along with any peace and joy!

Well, I was still in a dilemma!  I still was not happy with the new "name changes" I had made, and out of curiosity, knowing it was highly unlikely, I tried all the social media out on the name I had previously chosen for my "new season" (Other words for having deleted all my original stuff 😧)

And miraculously, even on social media that claims you may never get used names back (I know this to be true sadly), every single outlet I use, that name was available!

So (re)welcome to my new spot on the net!  Daily in His Grace!

I hope you find encouragement and biblical truth here as I walk this journey digging deeper in the word of the Lord!

God bless

Tracy