Present and Purposeful

O God, you are my God;
I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 NLT

My favorite part of my day is the first hour of my work day. I’m not a morning person, and thankfully it always seems to work out that the first hour of my work day is very quiet. Perfect for me to get focused, centered, completely in sync with my Father God and prepared for the day ahead. I have a great set up being at the front office reception area, floor to ceiling windows, and the view is lovely. It inspires my prayer time to look out at the big trees, watch the squirrels and birds moving about their morning, and just take in God’s creation. I can’t imagine living a day in my life without first stopping to consider what our Father God has created and provided to us. I cannot imagine taking that for granted. I cannot imagine living in a way that would reflect anything other than my commitment to my God and to my family. I’m struck by this painful reality today: I know too many people who are living a life far from what God intends. There is a choice we have to make every single day to either live a life that reflects life in Christ in everything we say and do, or we live as if we have one foot already in the grave. What does your life say about you?

I’m not perfect, never will be, but I strive daily to be more like Christ. I strive daily to be better than I was the day before. I strive daily to show love and mercy in the way my God shows me.

I choose to be present and purposeful in my relationship with my Father God. I take time daily, sometimes multiple times throughout my day, to talk with Him, seek help and comfort in His Word, and seek guidance from Him through the prayer partnerships I have with some amazing people in my life. Often times when I am overwhelmed and nearly paralyzed by something unexpected, God uses someone in my life to draw me back to His care. I need that so much! I am thankful I have cultivated relationships with family and dear friends who are willing to call me out, check on me, take my hand and help me find my way back to my Father’s care. And I choose to do the same for them. It is just one beautiful aspect of being part of the family of God.

I choose to be present and purposeful with my husband in our relationship. Marriage is hard, really, really, really hard. We have our good days and our horrible days. But we choose to be present and purposeful every day. We speak truth to one another, even if it’s something we don’t want to hear, we speak truth. And we choose to love each other and extend grace to each other, no matter what. We are learning as we get a little bit older and a little bit better at this, as we learn from each other, and as we love each other a little deeper, that it’s good to speak truth to each other. It’s good to stay, even though it’s really hard a lot of the time.

I choose to be present and purposeful in my church. I love my church! Story has been such a breath of fresh air for our family. The ride we have taken over the years in various churches and ministry roles has been amazing, heartbreaking, and absolutely worth it every step of the way. No matter what, we choose to be in it and cultivate relationships because it is what Christ intends for us. We need the connection, the fellowship, the discipleship, the accountability, and the abundant unconditional love. Without it, life is just a lot harder to live.

Choose today to live in a way that speaks truth for yourself, for your relationships, for your world. Choose to be present and purposeful. Choose life instead of living as if you have one foot in the grave. When you accepted Christ, you chose new life. So why on earth would you live in a way that contradicts that? This world has nothing for me, Christ is my all in all! There is an alignment that occurs when we find every aspect of our lives is driven by seeking Christ first. We have the Holy Spirit in us, so what is our excuse for living any other way?

Choose today to be present and purposeful in every aspect of your life. It is what I choose. Join me on the journey! It’s worth it!