Purpose

"If we are in fellowship and oneness with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purposes, then we will no longer strive to find out what His purposes are. As we grow in the Christian life, it becomes simpler to us, because we are less inclined to say, "I wonder why God allowed this or that?" And we begin to see that the compelling purpose of God lies behind everything in life, and that God is divinely shaping us into oneness with that purpose. A Christian is someone who trusts in the knowledge and the wisdom of God, not in his own abilities. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and the calm, relaxed pace which should be characteristic of the children of God." (excerpt from 8/5 My Utmost for his Highest, Oswald Chambers)

The past few days I've been reading about God's plan/purpose in my favorite devotional and the words have been so appropriate for where I am at. Funny too, my pastor at Bethany Community Church wrote a post on the 1/4 life crisis after receiving an article from a concerened dad. It talks about a lack of commitment in relationships and the workplace, a restlessness, a need for adventure and change that manifests itself in the mid-20's. I completely agree with the article that a crisis exists, which I've talked about before in my own posts...very recent "life thoughts" posts. I crave change and adventure. I don't feel the need to be comfortable and secure in a career, relationship, etc. I'm not entirely sure if this is healthy or not. I'm not trying to "be" in this phase...I just am. I would love to find someone to share my life with, find a job I love, and be settled for a time, but for now, it's just not happening.

So what does this have to do with God's purposes? Well, here is a bit from a journal entry I wrote on Monday after reading about the "compelling purpose of God"

"As always for me, the bigness of God and his plans takes pressure off the smallness of me and my own plans. He ultimately is carrying out his work, which is far greater than anything I could plan on my own. How great is our God that we can trust and believe in his purposes because he has shown his faithfulness over and over again in the lives of his people."

As I enter into another phase of uncertainty in life I know that God is using it for his purposes. I am too nearsighted to see exactly what his plan is for my life, my family, my community, but I can have confidence in his soveriegnty. I have confidence that in my life experiences God is shaping me into a person that carries out his purposes almost unconsciously as I continue to live in obediance, taking on the character of Christ.