Over the years I have made a practice of writing thoughts, feelings & observations. It has helped me express, share and understand what God is teaching me in my journey on this planet. At the end of each calendar year I would look back and journal thoughts, feelings, events and things learned and experienced during the past 365 days as a way to grow and prepare for the coming year (or as much time as God would allow me to survive in the days ahead). I hoped this practice would be a way to help me improve and mature each year. In some cases the jury may still be out as they seek to come to a clear decision on that case.
As the years in the past account pile higher I have come to some basic conclusions (Careful they may apply to you also):
First: GOD'S HAND WAS WITH ME ALL MY LIFE (even when I did not realize it…often and especially when I did not realize it!). As I look back over my life I see God’s hand clearly guiding me, preserving, protecting me and leading me (sometimes in spite of myself). That does not mean I have not stumbled and struggled but He has kept me from destroying my life and will always redeem me for His purpose as well as use the experiences in my past to honor Him today when I follow and trust Him. Romans 12: 1& 2 tells me to offer myself completely to God not conforming to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind. In other words as I give myself completely to Him, thinking & seeing different from the rest of the world I will then be more able see and understand His will for my life. I will then see more how He has been with me, kept me for this time and His purpose and will.
Second: I AM A UNIQUE CREATION. I often tell my wife I know that I am weird and I feel as if I am on the wrong planet (she never argues that statement…Hmmm). Psalm 139:14 tells me I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I am not an accident of birth. I have been on 5 of the 7 continents and never seen anyone like me (thank goodness, huh?). There is a divine design behind His creation of me. That same Psalm tells me God knit me together in my mother’s womb. There is also a divine purpose and plan behind my creation. I was not created just to bump around, pay taxes and die. As with Paul, in Galatians 1:15, who was set apart at birth and Jeremiah, who was appointed before birth, (Jeremiah 1:5) God has a divine purpose and plan. That is why His hand was evident in guiding me, preserving, protecting me and leading me to be where I am today for his purpose as I submit to Him.
Finally: LIFE IS FRAGILE AND PASSES QUICKLY. James 4:14 describes life as a mist. It is truly fragile. A mist is something that is frail and can disappear in a second. Next month I will share my annual blog about my miraculous preservation from early death by rupture from any one of three thin aneurysms as God still had work for me in His plan. I KNOW life is fragile and needs to be handled with care. That is why I seek to make the most of each moment. I do not know what will happen tomorrow. I do not have tomorrow promised. I may not be able to journal the end of next year. I may not make it home from work today. However, I DO have this moment. As I learn from my journals of the past I need to make the most of this moment. This is why God has me here!
As I think I guessed correctly these conclusions do not apply only to me. I think you see these conclusions applying to you as well. Some people mark time while others choose to do as Ephesians 5:16 guides us and make the most of every opportunity. This is the only opportunity we have here; let us make the most of it!
