WOW! The last post I wrote was on May 14, 2014!!! It is amazing how time gets away from us! A lot (and I mean a LOT) has happened in my life since then. Two good friends got married, I have been back on Ball State campus, my best friend moved away (although not too far!), my sister graduated from high school and started college. I could go on...
But the purpose of this post isn't to get all those who read my blog caught up on my life. (I mean, if you really care to know, you probably already do!) Instead, I mean to share some things that the Lord has revealed to me and comforted me with that I hope will be a blessing to all of you as well.
I think we ALL ask this question from time to time: What is my purpose in life? What am I here for? What great thing does God want to do in my life and through my life? Hate to break it to you all, but we weren't placed on earth or in the world we live in to do great things for His Kingdom. We weren't even placed on earth so that we could make God's earth a great place...it would probably do just fine without us (perhaps even better). God wanted company and His majesty and greatness deserves to be worshiped, so He created us to have fellowship with Him and to hear our voices sing praises to Him. It brings great joy to His ears and His Heart.
That isn't all to say that we are not to honor God with our lives and our work. By all means, we should! We should strive to honor and worship Him EVERYDAY! In the beginning of January, I was at a conference called SALT with Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship and it was an INCREDIBLE weekend of worship, fellowship, studying of the Word, reflection in our walk with God, lessons about how to live fruitful lives, you name it! But there was one thing that really stood out to me and one revelation that God spoke to me in my heart during worship (of all things) that I wish to share.
Ever since I was an adolescent, I have asked God to show me what my "purpose" was in life and His plans for me in His Kingdom. When I was old enough to understand that I was stillborn and the miracle that my life is and I realized that God has been working in my life since day one, I had been asking God to show me how He wanted to use me for His Kingdom and for what purpose it was that He spared me. I literally thought, "Okay, so now I need to prove to you God that I will make my life worthy of your mercy. I need to honor you in my life so I prove myself worthy of your grace!" I was so naive!! That is just foolishness, for several reasons:
1) God is about Grace, and grace is about the gift of life that He's given us. We are alive and breathing because of God's grace and we are able to do everything that we do because of GRACE! It isn't because of our greatness. 1 Corinthians 15:10 says "By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain." God decided to let us live and breathe and honor Him just because He loves His creation that much! We cannot in anyway please Him enough to earn His grace or even prove ourselves "worthy of Grace". That defies the very definition of Grace! Grace is a free gift! Let us simply accept this gift, instead of trying to earn it!
2) We were created to worship Him! That isn't the only thing, but it sure is an important thing! His majesty DEMANDS to be worshiped. It might seem like a selfish thing of God, but it isn't. He is a jealous God and worship of Him is beautiful, holy, righteous and true.
So what does that have to do with my question of "What am I here for? Why did God rescue me, spare my life?" Well, God answered that question while I was at the SALT conference. I am alive because He wanted to hear my voice in worship and watch me worship Him with my hands (worship in ASL) and life. That is all. What a humbling thought! God didn't have to create me, but He did! (And if you tell me He didn't, that evolution did, then I would ask you "Then why don't I look just like everyone else or every monkey? I mean, they all look the same!"). He didn't have to spare my life at all when I was born, but He did! And why did He? Because He longed to be loved and worshiped by me! Wow! I don't know about you, but that is a humbling thought! Me? Who am I? A daughter of the King, that is who I am!
I was made to worship. We all worship something, but the only One that deserves to be worshiped is God. And I live to worship Him, to glorify His name. I am not alive to do great works, although I should obey and do the work He sets before me to do. But in doing so, I should worship Him.
I am learning every day how to worship Him everyday, with every action, every thought, every passion I have, everything I am attatched to. I am learning to be attatched to Him!
I don't have to worship Him with some great works! If God asked me to worship Him by sweeping the streets in the ghetto areas of a city such as Chicago, then that I will do. He even deserves that kind of worship!
You and I were made to worship!
