Thankful Thursday

Sorry this is sooooo long! The Lord just really put this on my heart this morning to share with you and to encourage you in your faith walk...

The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
~ Psalm 28:7 (ESV) ~

I am thankful that Iris picked "relationships" as the theme of this Thankful Thursday and included this Scripture from Psalm 28:7. Appreciating relationships, especially with the Lord, has been a reoccurring theme for me in this season of my life.

The Lord has used my relationship with Him and my husband in an interesting way this week. I've had some wonderful opportunities come my way recently, and have needed to evaluate whether they are what the Lord would like me to pursue. They are all things I would love to say "yes" to, but thankfully my husband reminded me (much to my dismay at the time) of the mission statement I wrote for myself this past summer...

By God’s grace and mighty power, my life is marked by the privilege of serving Him by spreading the good news (Ephesians 3:7). With my eyes set on Jesus, the author and perfecter of my faith, the manner in which I serve will be under continual evolution. The primary work I am privileged to join my Heavenly Father in is right before me–my husband and children–as I seek to nurture their bodies, souls, and minds, all the while allowing God free reign to do the same on me through them. I am made in the image of Christ, by a creative and marvelous God, who intends good things for my life, but by His economy not mine. I will allow Him to work freely through me to heal my spiritual, emotional, and physical wounds completely and enabling me to live a life that is marked by His grace.

How does this mission statement play out in my decision making process? It causes me to ask questions, like: How will this "yes" impact some of the those other goals--especially the relationships in my life? Is this something that God is calling me to do? Am I willing to pray about it and wait for confirmation before saying yes?

God worked months in advance to prepare me to write this mission statement. First, He opened my eyes to the heart of the matter through the process of writing Skewed Bullseye for Faith Lifts, which was about the Lord needing to be the center of my life. I compared my life to a bullseye, describing how my priorities seemed right on the outside, but in reality were skewed in my heart and in how I spent my time. I also read two wonderful books, "What Happens When Women Walk in Faith" by Lysa TerKeurst and "Breathe" by Keri Wyatt Kent. Their questions and Scripture truths helped me evaluate why I was busy doing what I was doing, and challenged me to put it all before the Lord in faith.

As I look to this Psalm 28:7, I see that message of Jesus being the center of my life once again. I am reminded that He is my strength. If Jesus doesn't exist in the center of my life, what are the consequences? What good will I be if the center--where my strength ought to come from--is filled with other things or priorities, like what I am going to where, who I am going to serve, what thoughts shall write about?

Keeping Jesus at the center of my life has been difficult, even since the time of writing my mission statement. There are so many distractions--ones that are even Godly and good. But nothing can compare to the goodness of the Lord. I am so thankful that He provide frequent reminders when we stray off course, including the profound truth of His word and the loving-kindness of others.

So today, I am especially thankful for:

• Iris, for her faithfulness in hosting Thankful Thursday and her gift of providing just the right Scripture to encourage us each week!

• My husband, for his willingness to challenge me in my faith and priorities, and to remind me each time I stray from the mission that is before me.

• Jesus, and the wonder of who is He, and the ways He is truly our strength and shield when we trust in Him.

Heavenly Father, thank you for your amazing provisions and instructions. I am so grateful to you Lord, that you are my strength and my shield. In you alone, I put all my trust!

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Is the Lord calling you to lay down your busyness and consider the mission He has written for you? I pray you will spend time bringing this before the Lord and asking Him for His wisdom. Here are just some of the questions I spent weeks considering and praying about before writing out my mission statement:

1. What is God calling me to do?
   
2. What are the things I do each day?
3. What is the goal of my efforts and my relationships?
4. Where do I sense God calling me to focus my efforts?
5. What are God’s dreams for me?

These two books really hone in on these questions...

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Be sure to head over to Sting My Heart to read more Thankful Thursday posts.