Yes, I'm pouting.  A career I thought was perfect, came to an end.  Not because the work was hard, not because the coworkers were bad, not because I wasn't qualified, or not because I was not able to do my job, but because of conflict.  I thought back to the day I got this position and I thought about all the prayers I thanked God for answering, how he put me in the perfect place at the perfect time.  (and I believe that to still be true)  Now however, that season is over and it's bittersweet and confusing to me. Whether God shut the door or I did, I'm not sure, but what I am sure is that I will be taken care of regardless.

Then came the hummingbird....

I know, left field, right?  But this hummingbird came along and it hovered over my window quickly drinking nectar and being busy enjoying what it was intended to do.  I don't know if the hummingbird had a good life or a tough one, but what I did know is that the hummingbird was going about doing what he was created to do.  Then it flew off.

Too often, we base our trust on God by what he does for us.  The prayers that He answers.  We base how much we are successful or how much he loves us by the amount he does for us.  

What if instead we based our worth by what we were created to do?  Did you ever have someone tell you that you weren't qualified?  I have, and if you are not careful you will begin to believe those things.  Sometimes people want you to be lower than they, so they say anything they can to put you in a bracket beneath them.  You try all you can to reach the level of those people and try to prove them wrong, but you can never make that level.  You beat yourself up and you start to believe that you really aren't qualified, that you really aren't good enough.

Until the hummingbird arrives.....

Now you realize that you could never reach that level, because that level was imaginary.  It doesn't really exist.  It's superficial.  It's a world mark that doesn't exist.  That's why you will never reach it.

What you need to focus on instead is what you were created to do.  Now this is where you will find success.  It may not be financial, it may not be answered prayers, it may not even be easy.  But it will be right.  You were created to be who God created you to be, not who your insecure leaders want you to pretend to be.  Then you flew off, enjoying what you were intended to be!

Have a great day friends!

Today was a neat day.   A couple things happened, amazing God moments, really, however, they might just be my moments because I don't know if anyone else can relate, except I know God never does anything "just for one"...he does it for a whole so I am going to share.

In church, the Spirit ministered to me in two different ways.  First, he introduced me to what a family crest is.  If you are unfamiliar, it is the family name that would identify you for your family heritage, and provide you with an identity.  The problem with crests are that people know you by your family, not by who you individually are.  For instance, maybe your family name is royalty and that is who defines you, perhaps it is poverty and that is what defines you.  I thought about this.  I come from a broken home, I have three Dads, a biological Father, a Step Father, and an Adopted Father.  I went by 4 last names throughout my life, and I often make comment that I don't know where I truly belong.  I'm sure that is pretty common for people that come out of broken homes.  Today however, my broken home gave me a sense of security.   My spirit reflected on Matthew 8:20 But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head."  I always had an idea what I thought this meant to me, however today it took on a different meaning for me, it became real and a life lesson.  Foxes and Birds, do what they do because of the fact they are Foxes and Birds.  Just like I did what I did because of my last name or my identity handed down by my family...but when I live for Christ, my identity is not dependent of family heritage, or a title, or a last name, or a way of life, it is dependent on who I become in Christ.

Second, I reflected on a testimony of great value.  Living a life in Christ can be very very messy.  I am one that reveals how messy it can get.  I don't hold it together well when God comes to stir up my comfort, to teach me lessons, to help me grow, to help me mature.  I am a "hot mess" as they call it these days, and everyone knows it.  Because of that, I need to surround my self with genuine people.  So what is "genuine?"  It's people who are real.  People that can be honest and say they've had a hard day.  People that don't try to puff up and act like they have it all together when they are scared to death, people that are afraid to show their vulnerability.  I am actually a very trusting person until I find out someone has alternative motives, or need to lie to get attention, then I simply withdraw from them.  I am not looking for people that give fake testimony or only rely on "miracles" to prove God's existence.  God is here in everyday life, in every day messes and every day trials.  He is here when we do not see someone healed by cancer, or someone loose their house to debt.  He is there when we go around and around and around that mountain.  He doesn't leave us or forsake us, even when we don't have great big amazing testimonies to share.    I might even get so bold to say that in Matthew 16:4 Jesus says: Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah." Then Jesus left them and went away.  Sometimes we have to stop demanding signs and start living in faith, even when we don't see anything.  God is still there.

Today is good... God changed a couple areas of my life that needed changing.  I needed to see why I am so irritated by the lack of genuineness in some people, and that even though I don't have a "family name" that defines me, I have Christ, and it probably says a lot as to why I cling to him so strongly.

Have a great day friends.  
~just ang