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An Inspirational Christian Story
I'm in the Desert ... Anyone Got Water?When you think of an inspirational Christian story, the concept of being in a desert doesn't exactly spring to mind. But that's just where this one happened........ The word "desert" paints a picture of an endless, dry, barren place... Certainly not a place I would want to go to.....nor anyone else I imagine. But then, it's not always about what you want. God only sends you where you where you NEED to go so you sit still long enough to hear what He has to say.
Because of the pace I'd chosen for my life, I always felt like sitting still was a dreadful thing. After all, if you're not moving, you're getting behind, right? The truth is, when you're constantly moving you can't focus long enough to really know if you're moving in the right direction or if you're just moving. Well, after living that pace for more years than I can count, God decided it was time to not just slow me down, but to stop me altogether. So into the desert I went...to shut up and listen...and learn. Who...Me? Let Go??The desert was alot different than I expected.
When you're in the desert, you have to rely COMPLETELY on God to lead you. What a task. To hear from God that I'm supposed to trust that HE knows what's best for my life? When you're a control freak like me, this seemed like the most unbelievable thing I could ever imagine. But then, the pressure for me to do it on my own disappeared. In the desert, I had nobody to help me BUT God. So I realized I had nothing to lose by taking the time to consider what God might have in mind.
So as the days went by I slowly was able to "become the clay". But it wasn't easy. Sometimes my own "bright ideas" got in the way. But it sure didn't take very long for me to see that God didn't need any help coming up with ideas. And that my "bright ideas" were just that.....mine. One day I heard Joyce Meyer say, "God isn't obligated to finish anything He didn't start." That's when I realized that unless it was God's idea, I was on my own trying to make it all happen. You would think after this revelation of learning, I'd be done. I WANTED to be done. I wanted this supposed inspirational Christian story to be over..... But God was pretty much just starting with me. Ugh. More lessons and more learning....starting with the fact that God's timing is His idea, not mine. No More Whining.....The "Inspirational Christian Story" Continues.....The whole complaining...wondering...doubting thing was pretty normal for me. That's what everyone does, isn't it? I knew The ONLY way I could stop would be to purposely decide to stop, and I knew God would have to change the way I was thinking so I could change the way I acted. It wasn't quick, but little by little, things did get better. But as soon as I was making progress in that area, God went after the next thing. And this was a BIGGGGG One. It was the all-important focus on MMMEEEEE and all my problems. I mean, God surely would want me to focus on all my problems, wouldn't He? I'm in the desert! In a word, God said NO. He showed me that unless I wanted to take up residence with the Israelites and wander around the desert, I better get my mind off ME. Over and over I kept hearing about "being a blessing" to others, and making a difference in someone else's life. And I was learning about planting seeds in others lives so a harvest could come up in my own life. As I continued to read positive stuff, God changed my focus little by little. And as I purposely started looking for ways to be a blessing, good things started to happen. When I look back, I can honestly say I won't be choosing the desert as my number one vacation destination choice. BUT I can also say I never moved so far forward as when I was sitting still. Maybe "becoming" an inspirational Christian story isn't so bad........ Writing your inspirational Christian story is your chance to be a blessing to someone else. It doesn't have to be perfect, just tell your story as if we're sitting at your kitchen table. And remember, your inspirational Christian story is simply about your journey. Simply tell how your test is now your testimony! Find more inspirational Christian stories in one of these GREAT Books!
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