Taking a Hold of Destiny!

As I move into the next decade of my life this month, I’ve done a lot of reflecting on what I’ve done so far. It’s nice to think back on the things I’ve accomplished over the last 30 years.

Normal stuff like graduating from high school, getting married, having children.

Career stuff like working my way up to restaurant manager before realizing that wasn’t where I needed to be, making the big decision to focus on my writing, going the extra mile by attending the ACFW conference.

And not so normal stuff—surviving surgery at 2 days old, growing up with little evidence of physical disability (and no mental disabilities), surpassing everything the doctors ever said, adjusting to life with diabetes/high blood pressure.

Lately, I’ve felt like my life has reached a point where it’s not going to change much for the next several years. A rut as some would call it. I don’t feel like I influence much beyond the inner circle of my family. That’s not a bad thing, don’t get me wrong. But I just have this big faith that wants to set the world on fire—to get out there and DO something. Then that fire dwindles to an ember because I tell myself that I have responsibilities—kids, a husband, a home, the military. Like I can’t have it all.

But there’s good news. God is bigger than me! God is working all around me. I have to be open to both the BIG and small ways. I’ve said it before on here (and we all know how good I am at taking my own advice), but if you want to change the world—start with one person, one act, one choice.

I’m turning 30, and I don’t feel that I’ve made my mark on this world. But—who cares? I am only 30, and it’s not like I have one foot in the grave. I’m still young. Yes, I might have limitations because of my family (whom I adore!), but that doesn’t mean that God can’t use me in BIG ways.

So, this year, I’m pulling my head out of my self-centerness, and opening my eyes to all the possibilities. A good friend of mine, Kimchi, told me before I moved to Hawaii that she knew that God was going to use me in BIG ways while I’m out here. I, of course, doubted her and said sure, sure. But I’m going to take her words and raise them to the Lord. I am His servant and I want to be used!

Can I get an AMEN?

Ralene’s Beachfest Trivia Question:

What is my favorite color?

Justice

Let’s pretend.

It’s late at night. You had to work late and now you’re rushing to the car to get home to catch the tail end of dinner and a few moments with the kids before they head off to bed. In your hurry, you fumble the keys and they fall to the ground. When you bend over to retrieve them, the sound of footsteps echo in the parking lot.

You spin around to find that pesky guy on the third floor who’s had his eye on your job for awhile. He thinks you did something nefarious to get the promotion instead of him. With a wild look in his eye tonight, who knows what he’s got on your mind.

You open your mouth to greet him. Before a sound gets out, his fist slams into your nose. Your mind reels as your body falls back. Your unsteady legs search for balance when his fist sinks into your stomach. Doubling over, you stumble to the ground.

He goes to kick you, but you block his foot with your arm. He tries again. This time, you catch his foot and shove him. He stumbles back and trips over the curb, flips over a fence, and slams his head into a tree before sinking to the ground. Dead.

Now you find yourself in a precarious situation. You did nothing wrong—but there is a good chance you will go to jail on manslaughter charges—especially if there were no witnesses to the incident.

My husband and I got into a discussion about this yesterday. Self-defense that leads to prison. Or another example. The robber who breaks into the house, hurts himself, and then sues the owners because he was injured on their property.

Where’s the justice in that?

We live in an imperfect world. Sometimes the bad guys win. Sometimes we do nothing wrong, and still our lives are ruined.

Jesus did not promise us a life free from injustice. Being a Christian doesn’t grant us an immunity to this fallen world.

God does assure us, though, that vengeance is His. He is the ultimate Judge. Each person will have to answer for what they’ve done.

I may get frustrated with events like the ones described above, but I know that God sees all. What goes unpunished or without justice here on earth, will be rectified in Heaven. Praise the Lord!