There are times in my life that I listen to only my heart and my head, nothing in between. I am selfish, life is all about me, life is all about what works with my schedule, and life is about my preferences. Why? Because I am so busy and stressed with balancing college, friends, jobs, and life in general. Sometimes, I think I am the only one who has this problem. (Which is completely inaccurate.) There are times that I need to stop, breathe, and just listen...
Listen to what exactly? That's the thing. I'm not even certain. I feel like I sit in silence and wait for something spectacular to happen. I mean, you hear it in the Bible where people sit in silence and God appears to them; whether it be in a vision, His mighty voice, or through miracles. "Hey, yo God! When do I get my special message? When is my chance to hear that I'm doing this whole thing called 'life' right. Or even my slight inkling of what He wants from me?"
Last year, I was struggling with what I wanted...if my major was what I truly wanted to spend the rest of my life doing. I was distraught and considered transferring to pursue a different degree. That is a moment where I needed God to tell me I was on the right path! I wanted Him to give me this great sign to signify that this is what I am called to do.
Do you realize something in common with all of these statements? You probably guessed right...it is all about ME. Me wanting something from God, me wanting my life to go perfectly, me wanting some sign. If I have learned something this year, life is definitely not all about me. Do I still have moments where that is all I think about? Of course! Everyone does some point in their life. We are human after all. God does expect us to fail, He expects us to sin, but He also expects us to get up, repent, and to change our hearts.
So, you may be wondering where I am going with this. Hopefully, there is a time in your lives where you realize that life isn't revolved around you. Yes, the Earth and all other 8 planets revolve around the Sun...not you! Surprising! I know! The universe as we know it was created by none other than God. He made it in 7 days and everything He made was good. So, God is our King. He is our ruler, our majesty, our true master. We should answer to Him. But do we? Do I? Not always. I will be the first to tell you I am not a perfect Christian! None of us are. Should that deter us from trying to live in God's likeness? Absolutely not! We cannot be perfect and we never will be, but we can be the hands and feet of Christ.
Hands and feet of Christ...what does that even mean? Well, it is totally up for your own interpretation, but my thought is that God wants to work through us to help others. Whether that be we help them by giving our time, our talents, our experiences, our story, our knowledge. Whatever we do, we shall do for the glory of God. Crazy to think about right? Even eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich should be done in God's name. That means to thank Him for providing this food to nourish your body to go out and live His word.
That surely puts the pressure on! Don't be too stressed about it. I like to think to praying to God for the good, the bad, the big, and the little things. Thank Him in good times and pray to Him to help you in the bad times. No matter what, you can always count on Him. He may not answer your prayer or your silence right away, but He is listening. I promise. He puts people in your life to show you that He is listening. He puts you in situations that aren't always the most ideal or the easiest to overcome, but He does this to remind you that you shall not worry because He is with you. I guess you can do that when you have your own kingdom! Some people struggle with life more constantly, but I think it is our responsibility to show them to God. To give them a path and open up a doorway to a relationship with Him. Curiosity will get you no where if you don't go seek out the opportunity!
If you are Christian, seek out people worthy of God and give them an opportunity to live a life with Him by their side. (That should be EVERYONE!) God may not answer your prayers on the first try, so you may be wondering why you should do this? Why should you seek out others to share the word with if He doesn't do anything for you? That's the selfishness kicking in! We must not be selfish, but be willing to give our time and efforts to be the hands and feet of Christ. We must do the work that He has called us to do! Live a life that is God-centered, not me-centered. Easier said than done, but I promise you that if you overcome your troubles and fears of giving your life over to God that you will never regret it. God will give you a life you've never imagined! A life full of love, prosperity, and an eternity with Him.
So are you wondering where that little sign or message is from God? Well, take a moment to sit in silence and truly listen! Turn off the world for a few minutes and listen. He may not say anything, or He may! Whatever it may be, listen to God's call for you! Follow it with everything in your heart and do not be afraid. For God is with you; through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Don't give up, get up and try again! If you fail that means that you are at least trying! God gives you a safe place to fail and to get back up again. That place is in His arms. You are embraced in God's love each and every day. Now go out in the world and be God's hands and feet.
