In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:4-6
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:29-31
Easter is probably my favorite holiday. The weather gets warmer, flowers bloom, especially the azaleas and dogwoods. Outdoor activities provide lots of time to spend with friends. New life is all around us, reminding us we can have new life too.
Jesus waits patiently for us to invite Him in and receive the new life He offers. He paid a great price to give us the opportunity to live free from guilt and sin. Our job only involves saying “yes.” Not until the last ten to fifteen years have I began to understand that Jesus wants to have a relationship with me daily. He wants to be part of every thought, every decision, every action. He has a plan for me to continue to grow in my faith and relationship with Him. He gave His life for me to have this connection — How can I give only lip service one hour a week?
Some Christians have compared this new life in Christ to a butterfly leaving its chrysalis. Science tells us how necessary it is for the butterfly to struggle in order to develop the strength needed to fly. We also have times of struggle in our lives. Each struggle can make us stronger. Each struggle strengthens our faith and relationship as we choose Christ. We must make a conscious choice between defeat or trusting Christ as difficulties face us.
Currently, I am serving in a role which allows me to pray with other women to discern what direction God is leading us. To be able to work through each situation with patience has developed strength in my faith that I have not known in the past. Watching God guide us until the path is obvious is exciting. Perseverance with patience is part of the struggle to see where the next step will be. He reminds me often that the first step in following His guidance is trusting Him to give me new life. Then as I trust Him daily, He builds a relationship with me. My choice is how strong will it be? How much of my life will I trust Him to direct? How much will I keep and try to accomplish on my own? Do I trust Him to strengthen me to fly with the eagles?
Lord, you have already given your all for me. Help me live my life in submission to you. Help me to say “yes” to all you ask of me today. Amen.
