VICTORY, VOICE, VALIDATION & VAIN

When I was thinking about what to write, for the longest time, I wanted to write on victory - - what it's like to live victoriously, knowing that every battle I will ever wage has circumstances which are not yet known to me and outcomes in which my Lord is victorious.  This is what I originally wanted to write about.  I have experienced so many victories in which only my Lord can be glorified and I pray for many more victories I have yet to experience in which my Lord will be glorified yet again.  This is what it means to live a life of victory.  It's not about easy living.  It's about living for the glory of my Lord.

Then there is voice.  I have no gift of voice without my Lord.  I cannot speak, cannot even utter a sound, without the powerful breath of the Living Lord upon my being.  For it is in VOICE that He gives me VICTORY.  It is the precious gift of voice that His word and His power and His glory reign forever.  Lord Jesus, may my voice always be a resounding and majestic chord of your Holy Spirit.  May my voice be a blessing to you and your people.  May my voice be heard across the globe and when they hear my voice, may it be your voice that is heard.

Then there is validation.  May I not seek validation from anyone or anything other than my Lord.  May my victories and my voice never be tied to validation except the validation that is sought and found in You, my Lord.  The validation of the Victor and the validation of the Voice-Giver is all the validation I will ever need and may it be the only validation I will ever seek.

Finally, there is vain.  I hope my life is not in vain.  I hope that my battles are large enough and my life is large enough and my gift of voice is a surrendering to your agenda for my every breath.  It's not enough to give You gifts which cost me nothing.  It's not enough to live a life of ease and comfort and diluted culture that fails to recognize our life is in vain if we do not have VICTORY with You.  Lord Jesus, make me worthy of your calling on my life.  May every evil thwarted against me and my voice be in vain because I walk with You.  You are my Lord and my Friend.  I love You Jesus.  Amen.

UNDERSTAND

Understand that I have a million responsibilities that I am learning to live with.  Yes, it is in living where emphasis should be placed because I can choose at any moment not to fulfill a responsibility or an obligation or a commitment.  I can choose at any moment to die, but instead I choose to live because life is worth living.

Understand that I don't always feel this way.  Understand that no matter how much I know in my head that God is using me for greatness, I am still sometimes betrayed by my heart when flooded with emotions that have greater context than they deserve.

Understand that I am not larger than life, but I am just me.  I struggle with little things that seem minute to others but seem extraordinarily big to me.  I am just a regular person, but there is nothing normal about me - - nor would I want there to be.

Understand that I am fighting with all my might.  Understand that I cannot look back.  Understand that I will never be the same again.  Understand that that this is what movement looks like.  Understand that this is what life looks like.  Understand.

Time

Time is running out.  Time to do all the things I've always wanted to do.  Time to say what I want to do and then do it.  Time today spent taking a walk.  Time tomorrow is lost on the clock.  Time will tell.  Time will prevail.  Time needs to be spent reading the mail.  Time is nothing if not a constant guarentee of who we truly are by how we spend our time.  Time both ends and lasts forever.  What if today is your final hour?

SURPRISE

Surprise!  I'm back!  It has taken me longer to complete the A-Z challenge than I originally thought it would.  There are always reasons for things like this.  For example, I missed one day and then it became easier to miss more than one day.  Then I traveled and was really busy with work.  Then it had been so long since I logged in that I forgot my password for both the blogger and for the email address that is associated with this account.  Today, I somehow stumbled upon the way to retrieve my email account password which also allowed me to retrieve my blogger password.  Don't ask me how.  I couldn't repeat what I did if I tried.  I'm not a "techie" kind of person.  I was surprise to discover that I had already began a draft with another "S" entry.  We can live our lives and have one thing happen after another and another until one day  - - surprise!  We are caught wondering where did all the time go.  On your day of surprise, will you be pleased with how you lived your life?  Surprise may only be a breath away.

READY TO CHANGE TO WORLD

I've avoided writing this particular blog for quite awhile now.  I've known the title since I made my last blog entry, but what does it truly mean to be ready to change the world?  It all started with a simple every day question which was never a simple question for me.

"How are you?"

Most people don't really want to know how you are unless the answer is positive.  I began thinking about that; trying out different ways to answer that particularly painful question with a response that is both positive and authentic.  I finally decided that I am ready to change the world and that's how the question needs to be answered.

Being ready to change the world means a lot of things to a lot of people, but here is what it means to me. It means I am no longer content to live in a world where we ask one another "How are you?" without having any real concern about each other's welfare.  When people ask me "How are you?" I get all kinds of reactions when I say "I'm ready to change the world."  I'm thinking it might be a good topic for a book because I have so much more here I want to share and so much more that I am still learning based on one statement that suggests not only can the world be changed, but I have the power to make it happen.

QUEST

Not all too long ago, I felt that every time I entered a new group setting (my work brings me into new group settings on a regular basis) I was in a different kind of jungle and was constantly trying to quickly learn my surroundings in unfamiliar places.  As I was adjusting to the weather, and the terrain, and the dynamics of jungle animals interacting with one another, I would begin to assess places of danger, places of safety and places of significance.  It is in the search for significance, that my quest is made.  I have no other reason to venture into unknown and uncomfortable places except to further witness and further experience and further make known the unchanging power of God.  This is my quest.

PEOPLE

People are funny creatures.  We laugh.  We sing.  We pray.  We cry.  We live.  People are blessed and people are cursed by other people.  We have this soul within us that serves as a conduit to another realm that impacts the world in which we live.  People are curious.  While we may have established patterns of behavior, we are unique and distinct from any other person on planet earth.  Each person can influence our world in only the way that we have design and desire to do so, for opportunity always exists.  People are part of a greater wealthy chorus of spiritual beings in a universe of glory deciding whether or not to accept our great destiny.  People are made in the image of Almighty God.