By Katie Kafka
Have you ever walked through a season when you notice that God is preparing your heart for something? It is this awkward space when waiting feels uncomfortable and yet, so does moving forward. It is hard not to get caught up in the unknown and uncertainty of your circumstances making it easier to complain and whine and wish for different. You go to God with all the questions,
Why, God?
What next, God?
What about this, God?
How is this even possible, God?
Where would You have me be, God?
Does gratitude overcome circumstances in these moments of coming to God with questions? Are we grateful for the way He chooses to remain in such a gracious way? He is lovingly available and always ready to hold thoughts of curiosity. The specifics may still be unknown, but they are not unknown to Him. The result can be forward movement toward trusting that God will lead. He will tenderly handle questions so that the weight of indecision no longer feels burdensome.
Can you tell that this is a familiar path for me? I must admit I am going through a season such as this. It is a real and personal place for me in my walk with the Lord. I’m grateful that He sees fit to prepare me for what is to come and yet, frustrated in the moments where waiting is hard and moving seems overwhelming. An essential verse for me that I have said over and over again to myself just happens to be Colossians 3:23-24.
Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.
In these verses, Paul is speaking specifically regarding relationships in the workplace. A few verses earlier, in Colossians 3:17, He pens something very similar in a broader sense toward a community of believers, holy and beloved, chosen of God.
Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
As I breathe these verses in and exhale them out as a prayer, I find myself able to release control of my circumstances and acknowledge that God is in control. I remind myself that my heart’s desire is to please God, not man. My motivation then becomes seeking how to align my deeds with God’s value system. The questioning and curiosity still remain but perhaps, I begin to ask different questions. The heart work required to live in this way is essential as in many cases, it requires sacrifice and the strength to venture off-trend. Heart work creates movement towards:
- Compassion rather than comparison
- Kindness rather than anger
- Humility rather than celebrity
- Gentleness rather than stubbornness
- Patience rather than hustle.
These qualities become a measure of determining whether we are living out a Christ-centered identity with others. Conversely, the latter are deterrents from thriving in God’s value system. Every day is a new opportunity to say “not today” to the deterrents so that Christ might shine bright in our lives. Whatever you do, decide this day whom you serve. May we daily choose Christ and, with gratitude, give Him thanks for all He has done.
Equip Her 