by Rebecca | Feb 21, 2022 | Bible Verses, Christian Life
Middle school is kind of the worst, right? I don’t know what your middle school experience was like, but mine left me labeled a goodie-two-shoes and I didn’t understand why being a person who generally tried to be a good person was a bad thing.
In high school, I eventually found a group of people who I had good, clean fun with but the label never left me. I found lots of people like me in my Christian college, but there were still people who kept their distance just because I generally tried to follow Christ.
I don’t know if you’ve ever attended a Christian college or what your experience was, but I made good friends there. My sorority house roomie was like me: choosing a clean lifestyle. But some of my friends were still not quite seeking Christ as central in their lives. I watched their lives and mostly just stored my observations in the back of my mind as I, too, was trying to figure out a lot of things in my life.
I was still a goodie-two-shoes. I learned much later (like within the last couple of years) that some of my challenging relationships were difficult, in part, because my friends were trying to get away from what I was representing to them. To be transparent, I don’t pretend to assume I was perfect, but I did represent that good life they were trying to avoid. At least one has indicated this to be the case.
And then…
Thanks to the wonders of social media, I’ve had the opportunity to see friends from middle school, high school, and college continue to grow up. Some of them have completely turned their lives around and are seeking Christ as central to their lives as they begin families or go through other struggles in adult life.
I. Am. Thrilled.
They don’t know how often I cry tears of joy that they have learned why Jesus was so important to me when we were doing life together. I mean it. I cried when one friend from high school was baptized a few years ago. Another friend recently reached out to me about her desire to raise her daughters in a place that encourages women to follow Christ in deep relationship instead of catty girl environments. I rejoiced when a college friend responded and apologized to me recently as I reached out to her to talk our relationship from back then.
I cry now when I think about these sweet women and I pray they will continue to seek Christ as central to their lives.
Honestly:
It’s really what I want for all of us. I want to do it better. I want them to do it better. I want to help others do it better.
I’m not claiming to be an old lady, here, but Titus 2.3-5 says that older women are to teach younger women to lead holy lives so that the word of God isn’t reviled. I’ve been [imperfectly] seeking Christ in all areas of my life for over 25 years. He’s everything to me. He’s good and truth and holy and firm and loving. He’s gentle but He teaches me hard lessons when I refuse to learn them the easy way. And I learn to keep loving His truth.
If you feel like you wasted high school, college, or young adulthood by not seeking Christ, sister, it’s not too late. He’s waiting for you to decide He’s worth being first in your life.
by Rebecca | Sep 20, 2021 | Bible Verses
I was about 20 years old and prayerfully considering a major change in my life. It required uprooting myself from my church community and I felt torn. Deep in my soul, I felt torn. I regularly spent a great deal of time in the word and in prayer and in worship. But this possibility of change was confusing to me; I was torn between what I interpreted as following my father and what I interpreted as abandoning my faith community.
I was crushed. Confused. Afraid I’d make the wrong choice.
In my prayers, I sought direction and wisdom. I clung to the Bible for insight. I spoke with a close friend about the situation. I didn’t know what to do.
And in prayer one evening, I opened up my Bible at random while in anguish before the Lord. And there it was: Jeremiah 42.10.
If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you.
Jeremiah 42.10
Now, I don’t recommend that you regularly look for God to speak to you through a verse you randomly open up to and point to. God definitely works this way sometimes, but it’s not an effective way to structure a regular approach to getting to know God through scripture. But this one time, it was truly God’s sovereignty
In that moment–in that instance, this was the exact direction I was looking for, at least on the surface. I took the directions literally, but the verse has stuck with me since that moment.
In that specific petition, Jesus spoke to me to stay in my current body of believers. Does that mean I’m still with that community? I’m not. He led me somewhere else eventually.
While, in that moment, the verse meant clinging to a community of believers, now, the verse plays a role of reminding me that I will be completely fine if I remain in Him. If I continue to make Him my central focus and source of security and safety.
In Context
Now, I’m not a fan of taking verses out of context. This verse is found in the midst of a story, not an isolated command for all believers. Sometimes, God calls us to move. In this instance, God called me to stay put. Later, I did move. It just wasn’t his timing at that specific place in my life.
But God was telling the Israelites to stay put. They were begging and pleading for Jeremiah to ask God what to do and promised that they would do exactly what God instructed them. Ready for a spoiler alert? They broke that promise and suffered consequences for it. (They were kinda notorious for doing this; I am, too.)
More recently, the last part of that verse has spoken to me more than ever. I used to always sort of ignore that part of the verse. But while someone was praying for me out loud, they said that Jesus knows the pains I’ve gone through and mourns that I’ve experienced so much pain. (And this is true for you, too.)
He knows how rare it is for someone like me to be continuing in my dedication to Him. How amazing is it that the God of the universe, the creator of all things, cares and is saddened by what I’ve gone through!? To me, it’s both humbling and terrifying. It’s almost unbelievable. Except I have decades of experience: I can’t help but believe it.
Just for you:
Friend, if you’ve gone through the ringer and can’t imagine if or why you should even try again, lean in to Jesus. He knows that pain; He has experienced it. It’s real and moving forward doesn’t mean it wasn’t. Pray for His healing of your heart and for courage to let go of the pain. He heals. He will recover you.
Stay in Him and see His work in you. You’ll be like me: Can’t believe it but can’t help but believe it. And PM me on Instagram; let me know if this is a process you’re working through. Love-you-mean-it.
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