Pressing Toward the Goal

So many wonderful things happening and yet so much fear about the future.

Do you ever feel that as you take a step forward you take several back? Or, do you beat yourself up after you make a mistake? Do you ever feel just not good enough? I do. And, I think that is where my fears stem from.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done" - Philippians 4:6 (NLT)

As I think about coming back to serve in Italy, the thought that keeps coming back to me is simply this: "you are not good enough and you do not deserve it". It's not a very pleasant feeling. And, it is not of the Lord. After all, who is good enough? I want to serve the Lord and yet what could keep me from doing what He has called me to do is focusing on my faults. 

Lord, You make all things new. I need refreshing from You. I need to wake up to a new day in life and see things in a new way. Give me new eyes, show me new mercies, and take me on new adventures.

I am the type of person who has a goal and I like to see results FAST. But, our walk with the Lord is just that. A walk. We grow everyday in maturity and faith. We make mistakes. We get back up and continue to grow and learn. 

"Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:12-14 (ESV)

And so, as I grow in my relationship with the Lord, I continue to pray that He will give me peace about the future and who I am in Him. I do not deserve His grace. Nobody does. And, sometimes accepting such a wonderfully free gift is the hardest part. We can't measure ourselves as Christians based on an idea or a "perfect" image of what a Christian looks like. We must trust in the Lord that, despite how worthless or unimportant we may feel, He loves each and every one of us. There is a wonderful plan that only He can see.

Some songs I have been enjoying:

Through Heavens Eyes from The Prince of Egypt
Takes a Little Time by Amy Grant

Arrivederci Y'all ;)