The Beauty of being Stagnant with Purpose

Verse of the Day:

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

I believe that I speak for everyone when I say that the year 2020 will be a year that haunts our history books until the end of time, we are living in a moment that will at some point be labeled "we'll always remember." and needless to say it won't be forgotten.

My faith, as expected and accepted, has been placed to the fire in ways that are only necessary if I wish to be strengthened as a believer in Christ. A question in need of an honest answer arose: Do I have what it takes to truly believe? It is more than church and worship on Sunday, it is more than religion, it is more than being able to remember a scripture and repeat it those who will listen and be seen as "holy". Following and believing in Christ is a lifestyle with a responsibility, not to myself but to my heavenly father; God through my belief in Jesus, his son.

In my acknowledgement of all this, I must confess as I have prayed to the lord about it already, that it has been difficult as of lately to keep myself focused. There will come a day and time where we must decide to truly live for God. Is it going to be our top priority or not? (Joshua 24:15).

When I say living for God, I mean two things specifically: Deciding to be a witness and recognize God in our everyday lives within all that we say and do, that and remaining sober minded and vigilant as we pursue Christ through study of the scripture. These are areas I wish to speak on as it pertains to my struggle personally. We get so caught up in ourselves and in our every day lives that we dismiss God as some sort of side character in our own stories when the truth of the matter is this: our everyday objective is not to find time and a place for God in OUR plan, it is to find a place in which we fit into GOD'S plan, and in order to do that, there is a lot of "self" that must be forsaken. (Matthew 16:25)

Personal pursuits without the consent or consideration of God usually fall flat and lack what we call "purpose". There are periods of time where everything feels as if it's gone to a complete stand still and that we are merely existing and not truly living. This pandemic has placed a lid on the things we are accustomed to filling our lives with everyday. Our norm has been suspended, however there is purpose behind it.

The topic of mental health has arisen in the media more in the past few months that I could have ever hoped to dream. A back burner conversation that has been in need of global discussion for ages. while it is true that mental health is to be considered, we must think: what is it that we consider healthy for our minds? are the things we fill our lives with every day things that are truly fulfilling or temporary fixes to permanent and more problematic issues? For the believer, it is God who brings true fulfillment into our lives and it is things of the spirit that provides clarity and peace. (Psalms 16:11) and (psalms 37:4) . It is during this time, that I have come to realize: what is sin but a virus to the soul? It invades, pollutes, taints and shrouds in darkness our minds, our hearts and our very souls, so then what is the cure?

God loved us so much that he presented to us the greatest gift and only true cure available in all the world to defeat sin and save his people, he gave us Jesus. (John 3:16) That we may have the opportunity at eternal life. Jesus paid the debt of our sins, we were headed to death before he came and saved us all. He died, so that we could live forever.

Before I go on, I had to ask myself, if all of these things were merely me repeating what I had learned or something I truly believed to be so, and if I do, in what way is there proof of that in my everyday life? As it is written, those who are of the spirit (or of God) do the things that are of the spirit. (Romans 8:9)

I must be truthful to you, myself and before God when I say, that not everything I've done has been done in the spirit but to the satisfaction of myself, more so recently that I have in a while. I have had to pray and ask forgiveness and for strength to endure, that I not fall to temptation, I spent some time in prayer and reflecting on where I went wrong: It was November 6, 2020 at 5:00 pm or later that I realized the culprit: distractions.

I allowed my personal needs to come before my desire for God and that is where the road began to feel harder to travel and less familiar. Once you have witnessed what it is truly like to walk with Christ, you know when you have stepped out of line.

This is not mere "Christianity", he is life, the alpha and omega of existence before it had a name. He is beyond the human realm of time and space and he has gifted me as he has others with the abilities and attributes to testify of his goodness and mercy, to share through our testimonies of being a witness to him.

My poetry, my stories, my paintings, my teaching, all given to provide light into what God can truly do and be for someone like me. Without him I am nothing and can do nothing. There are too many periods of my life where I had so little and yet so much because of him. And now I can share my experiences with you all today and blessed am I to be able to do so. My personal encounters with Christ is what moved me to change my artist name (as mentioned in a previous blog.) and to reroute my creative purpose. It is not just about self expression as it had been for a time, but the expression of the purpose I have been given of God through Jesus.

As I am writing this, I am encouraged, I am motivated and moved by the spirit to share this with you today:

Maybe being Stagnant for a time is God's way of rerouting us when we have gone astray. We are the sheep and Jesus is the good shepherd, he always returns for those who are lost and takes heed of those who have wandered too far. (John 10:11-18)

Maybe this blog will find you in your own stand still where you have told yourself that you just don't know what's to come for you. Well, I am here today to tell you to trust God and his process and to turn your eyes to his gaze. He can assure you, that he will never leave or forsake you, as it is written, it will be so. (1 Kings 8:57, 1 Peter 5:7, and Deuteronomy 4:31). May you be blessed and your soul experience renewal and peace during these difficult days.

and as always

For the love of life and literature, stay prayerful, stay positive and write on!