Wasted

Perhaps I am one of a few who worry about this, but there are times when I feel like I am wasting my life as the world would see it.  I have no full time job, no college degree, I still live at home, and it looks unlikely that my situation will change very soon.  I often struggle with this worldly mindset of "needing to do something" with my life so it "won't be wasted".  True, I am still young and have a lot of time, but as we all know, years start to pass away like months and months like weeks and before long it will be "too late" for me to do anything "worthwhile" with my life.  

As I was meditating on the lack of accomplishments in my life I read these verses in Mark 14: "And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”" (Mark 14:3-9)

This woman is absolutely incredible!  She took what was probably the most costly and important thing in her life and she gave it to the Lord! She gave it freely, it was not demanded of her, it was not asked of her, but she gave it of her own accord.  After she had given such a precious gift, she was chastised for not using it for a "better" purpose. 

Is this not the same reaction the world gives when they feel someone is "wasting" their lives. The world feels that a person who doesn't strive to become successful or use their resources to better themselves is a fool and disappointment.  If one's life is given to the Lord how can it be a waste? A life given for the glorification and service of God is the only kind of life worth living.  All other things will pass away.  Success does not last it is at the whim of the people. Education is only useful when one remembers what they have learned and often it will mean nothing when memory becomes less and less dependable. Money is only as good as the government and nations shall rise and fall.  The only thing that will last forever is the life that has been lived for the Lord. 

My conclusion:    Just as Jesus came to Mary's rescue when she was criticized for her imprudence, so shall He come to mine when the world's mindset starts to infiltrate my own thoughts.  I refuse to be ashamed of my lack of earthly accomplishments. I refuse to be bullied into thinking that I am worthless because I have not attained a certain standing in the world, or lack a certain degree, or am not striving for something more. These things can never satisfy my heart or give me a real and long-lasting sense of purpose.  My aim is so much higher than the here and now, my aim is eternal, it is for God, Himself, to love Him more with each passing moment, to know Him more than I have, to live more for Him.



P.S. Just so everyone knows, I am not against people getting an education, working in corporate affairs, or being successful.  I just think it can be easy to get into the mindset that this is what needs to be done rather than allowing for the Lord to lead and trusting Him when He leads us away from such things.

Ordinary Life

Lately, I have been struggling with being okay with ordinary.  My life hasn't really changed by way of circumstances in the last 3 years and that is very hard for me to be ok with.  The monotony of it starts to get to me and causes me to grown restless and crave some sort of adventure or anything different than what is right now and I am discontent with this mundane life of mine.
It seems, however, that the Lord has other plans for me; He has told me to wait at a time when I would rather move ahead full speed into the next "adventure".  Why has the Lord put my dreams and ambitions on hold? I have no idea, but I do know that He does have a plan for me, a plan for my good and one to glorify His name (Jer. 29:11-13).  I also know that no matter how mundane or exciting my life is, Christ wants it all, He doesn't care what kind of job I do or don't have, it doesn't matter what kind of influence I have, all that matters to God is am I right with Him and am I willing to follow His lead, if the answer is yes, then I have nothing to worry about, adventure or no, I'll be living a life that is worth living; a life sold out for Christ.

Here is a message by Mason Vann that helped me tremendously in this time of living my ordinary and mundane life.

(I'm sorry a lot of this is jumbled and doesn't really flow...just listen to the message, you won't regret it :) )

The Name of Jesus

In the last 21 years, the Lord has been faithful to work in my life and to bring me unto Himself, yet there are times when the enemy comes in and causes my soul to be dismayed at how little I have actually grown and how much sin I still have.  It is in these times of heart-break and unrest that I find it hard to be soothed by the most encouraging verse, loving saint, or even prayer. I am bogged down by the fact that I have failed the One whom my heart loves the most and I begin to wonder if I ever loved Him at all.  I become overwhelmed by the most tedious of things, and I see every failing as if it were going to crush me to death.

My heart aches at the very thought of living out another moment in such a state, yet I see no other way than to drudge through the mire under a cloud waiting for the Sun to shine through and smoother roads to come ahead.  These times can last for days, weeks, months even.  I become parched and weary, no longer wanting to fight the good fight, no longer wanting to take one more step, only wanting to drift along in life by myself.

Then, through this dreary time, through the fogginess of my mind and heart comes the sweetest thing, a name, Jesus. His name alone has dispelled all darkness, brightened the once sorrowful heart, and granted life to dead bones.  His name has saved me from all of my sins, and though I fall, I will rise again, forgiven and standing clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

in a believer's ear;

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,

and drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,

and calms the troubled breast;

Tis manna to the hungry soul

and to weary rest.

Dear name, the Rock on which I build,

my shield and hiding place,

my never-failing treasury, filled

with boundless stores of grace.

Jesus, my Shepherd, Savior, Friend,

My Prophet, Priest, my King,

My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,

Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart, 

and cold my warmest thought;

but when I see Thee as Thou art

I'll praise Thee as I ought.

I would Thy boundless love proclaim

with every fleeting breath;

so shall the music of Thy name

refresh my soul in death.

~John Newton

Persist To The End

'Your work and your life must go off the stage together. Persisting to the end will be the burr in your saddle- the thorn in your flesh- when the road ahead seems endless and your soul begs an early discharge. It weighs down every other difficulty of your calling. We have known many who have joined the army of Christ and liked being a soldier for a battle or two, but have soon had enough and ended up deserting. They impulsively enlist for Christian duties, are easily persuaded to take up a profession of religion, and are just as easily persuaded to lay it down. Like the new moon, they shine a little in the first part of the evening, but go down before the night is over.

This persevering is a hard word! Taking up the cross daily, praying always, watching night and day and never laying aside our armour to indulge ourselves, sends many sorrowful away from Christ. Yet this is your calling: to make the Christian faith your daily work, without any vacation from one end of the year to the other.'
~ William Gurnall

HT: Liyah McDonnell

Life

As I was sitting in the cemetery  I thought about the brevity of life. As I walked around looking at the tombstones   it occurred to me that these were people just like me. They had a life, a family, friends, things that they enjoyed doing, and things that they despised.  They laughed and they cried.  They loved people and, at times, were hurt by those very same people. They each had their own story; their own quirks.  They lived a life that was unique, but now they are gone.  There is nothing left to show that they were here, except for a cold lifeless stone stating the facts: name, birth, death.  Even those things may not be seen on the tombstones.  Some of the names are hard to read because they have been worn away with the years and changing of the season. Some of the tombstones have fallen or can not be found because they are buried under the dirt now. Some of these graves, I am sad to say, have had moles and other creatures digging through them, but this is reality! We are born, we live, we die.  This is all there is to this, right? Wrong!  That can not be it, that can't be the only reason we live.  If all there is to this world is to live and die, to be forgotten then what is the point of living in the first place?  Though these people are dead in physically their soul is still alive.  I sat looking at the tombstones and I wondered how many knew their Father in life and therefore are with Him now.  I wonder how many had a stiff neck and refused to come to Christ in life and as a consequence are paying for their own sins in eternal destruction.  Who were the religious ones, who put faith in their own works? Who were the ones who did not seek but were found? Who were the ones that walked many years with God or the ones who found Him as the thief on the cross did, in the last moments? Are they among the forgotten? Their Father has not forgotten them even if man has.  God had a purpose for them and knew what their life and death would bring in the end.  Praise Him! Though I may be forgotten by man, my accomplishments along with my failures, God won't forget me.  He will remember the things I have accomplished through Christ in this life and because of Christ my failures (sins) have been paid for already.  I stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ in life as well as death!