Hello Readers,
Some of you, when the new year arrived, might have been relieved 2020 was over and excited for 2021. Others of you when it comes to 2021 have been hesitant to have any goals or dreams for this year because of the unexpected ways 2020 unfolded. Whatever your perspective is on this year, the impact 2020 had on us (whether it was physically, emotionally, or spiritually) resulted in us all being uncomfortable. Even so, if you are a follower of Christ, then there comes a point when you are made aware that Jesus and comfort do not go together. As we go deeper into 2021, perhaps it will be a year where life starts to look in physical appearance the way it once did prior to the Coronavirus Pandemic, but what if as believers 2021 is an opportunity for God to take us even deeper in being uncomfortable as we follow Him?
What does going deeper with the Lord look like? In my own life, each call from the Lord to go deeper in my relationship with Him was linked to doing something way out of my comfort zone. The year 2020 was no different. One of the moments God had me get uncomfortable was when He presented an opportunity for me to work in a career I never thought I was capable of doing: childcare. I was nervous when I started, but on the other side of saying “yes” to this job, I cannot tell you how much I adore the children I get to spend time with.
God has been using the children in the childcare I work in to stomp on a lie I long held since I was a teenager that I would not be a good, gentle, loving, and patient mom someday. He has shown me how to love and care for these children and He has shown me how to navigate conflict, which happens between the children from a place of peace and calm. I never saw myself as someone who would love working in childcare, and I never would have known I would love it had I not obeyed God. God reminded me throughout last year of two verses found in Isaiah, which says,
I pray as you and I continue into 2021, we remember God knows us better than anyone on this earth—even better than we know ourselves. He knows how He wants to use the spiritual gifts He has given us. He knows why He gave us each the personalities we have. He knows why you and I have the different interests, hobbies, and passions we have. He knows the desires you and I are waiting on Him to provide. He knows the highs and lows we all walked through in 2020.
In every chapter throughout your life, reflect on Isaiah 55:8-9. God knows exactly what He is doing in you, through you, and around you and the world. So, when He calls you, His disciple to come follow Him even more, are you willing to go deeper?