Follow Me

Follow Me

Genesis 12:1
Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you."

Abram was asked to leave everything he knew, everything that gave him identity.  God asked him to leave his country and his family.  He left the land he knew.  He left his family and friends, taking only his wife, his nephew and his servants.  Abram moved in faith.  He had no idea where he was going or even why, other than God told him to and promised to make him a great nation. 

Just close your eyes and try to imagine what Abram was experiencing.  I recently did just that, only my eyes were wide open.  I was laid off from my job, one that I had held for seventeen years.  That job was my identity.  I was a teacher.  When I was laid off, my husband and I knew we had to do something drastic.  We looked at our options and decided that a move might be best for us. The kids were grown and on their own, and we had always wanted to move to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, maybe this was our opportunity.  God made it clear that He was calling us to this new land.  We left our family behind and the area were we had both grown up.  We were part of a thriving ministry.  Because of this move we learned that we had let our ministry define who we were.  When we moved to this small town, we had no idea what God had in store for us, and to be honest, we still don't some days.  We went through a time of rest, that was very difficult to two busy first borns.  But in that time, God taught us to rest in Him and to look to Him for our identity.  To allow Him to lead us.  To look to Him for our every need.  It was a time of great discovery.  We discovered more about who we are in Christ.

Sometimes God puts us in situations to grow our faith, to make us stronger by showing us how weak we really are.  God also calls us out of our comfort zone to prepare us for something bigger, He sets us apart to grow us into what God needs us to be.  I need to get back to my faith - to simply following God and doing exactly what He asks, not caring about the outcome.  Just trusting Him. 

Father, lead me.  I trust you and will follow you where You lead.  I don't need to know the outcome.  I just need You.

Feeling Small

Psalms 8:3-4

When I consider your heavens, the work of you fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?  

Walking the shores of Lake Superior is one of my favorite things to do.  On a still day the expanse of blue water is calming and tranquil.  But, my favorite time to visit the lake is when she has her "sassy pants" on.  The waves churn and jump sending spray launching into the air.  The crash of the waves is so loud that talking is impossible. The air is filled with mist and the wind takes your breath away.  

This lake constantly reminds me of God's awesome power and majesty.  It reminds me to respect God and to remember how small I am compared to him.  

When I look at the stars at night, they seem so close, yet so far away.  The tiny pinpricks of twinkling light are actually huge suns many millions of miles away.  It boggles my mind.  

When I think of the natural world around me and the splendor of the one who created me, I feel small...very small, insignificant even. 

But God has shown me He uses little things to do big things.  The tiny acorn that I put in my pocket is the start of the giant oak in the forest.  A tiny kernel of corn produces a stalk that grows several ears of corn and on each ear are hundreds of kernels.   

God can use me too. I just need to be willing.  I'm still small when I walk with God, but as I follow him, and  do his will, I find I am not insignificant.  I am made in his image, with his hand.  I am different from the rest of his creation - I have a soul and He wants to fellowship with me.  I am growing into an oak tree!