“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
Storms rolled through Houston all night leaving us without power. Suddenly my daughter’s little red lantern is our family’s most prized possession. We can only see one step ahead as we make our way through the darkness. The same is true with life.
What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s that familiar question that unlocks the galaxy of possibilities in the heart of a child, and strangles hope out of most adults. Such a simple question is a paradox pressure that drives us to greatness or the grave. And for what?
Who sets that standard of success? Who says my identity has to be tied to a trade, profession or some lofty goal to which men aspire? How many lives are spent chasing a destination when true confessions reveal only disappointment on the other side? What is my purpose in this life? More thunder shakes our house.
If I only had a bigger lantern I could see farther down the path and get ahead. That’s not how God designed it. He knows that if He told us more about the future, we would chase after it, instead of Him. The world provides lots of instructions and pressures regarding what we should do when we grow up. Someone bigger than us is more concerned with who we will be each day.
Do you want a life lived out of your greatest strength or a strength greater than yours? Lay down your best effort and consider this. “The eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His.” 2 Chron 16:9. What does it mean to have a heart that is completely His? It’s a heart that is willing to lay down its best plans in exchange for God’s best. The secret to your greatest success is surrender. The key is doing it every day.
The more you seek God each day through reading His word, inquiring of Him, and listening, the more you will become like Him. Light chases darkness. He will illuminate your heart with eternal hope, reveal purpose in every day and guide you to do things that you never expected. When you look back on your life you will see a well-lit path that made a difference in ways you never could have dreamed, planned or worked out in your own strength. You will become a lantern for those around you, but not until your time with Him each day becomes your most prized possession.
Which dreams for your life are better than God’s?
What would hurt the most to lay down?
Challenge prayer: Lord, show me who I can be today instead of what I can do tomorrow. How can I be a light to someone else today?
In His Unfailing Love,
brandi
