September is a month of beginnings! It is the start of the school year, churches begin their new ministry year, football season begins with every team being optimistic about their chances to win the Super Bowl this year. I love this season as the trees begin to change color, the temperatures cool down, bugs start to become less active and being outdoors is beautiful.
This September has added excitement for us as this is the first September in our new adventure. We begin this fall with the excitement and anticipation of what God will bring for us to do and experience in this coming year.
The past year has been filled with many twist and turns. When we started last fall we would never have anticipated where we would be at now. God had plans for us, but we had no way of knowing what those plans would be, but yet we know that God is in control and His plans are always better than our plans.
As I have been thinking about our future and waiting for approval of our non-profit application, I read the following devotional from Jesus Calling for Sep 2, 2017:
LIVING IN DEPENDENCE ON ME is a glorious adventure. Most people scurry around busily, trying to accomplish things through their own strength and ability. Some succeed enormously; others fail miserably. But both groups miss what life is meant to be: living and working in collaboration with Me.
When you depend on Me continually, your whole perspective changes. You see miracles happening all around, while others see only natural occurrences and “coincidences.” You begin each day with joyful expectation, watching to see what I will do. You accept weakness as a gift from Me, knowing that My Power plugs in most readily to consecrated weakness. You keep your plans tentative, knowing that My plans are far superior. You consciously live, move, and have your being in Me, desiring that I live in you. I in you and you in Me. This is the intimate adventure I offer you.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. . . . For when I am weak, then I am strong.
—2 Corinthians 12:9–10
For in him we live and move and have our being.
—Acts 17:28
I love the line where it says: “When you depend on Me continually, your whole perspective changes. You see miracles happening all around, while others see only natural occurrences and “coincidences.” You begin each day with joyful expectation, watching to see what I will do.” I have so often taken God for granted and failed to recognize how He is working all around me. I have missed miracles because I was too busy moving on to the next task.
As you begin this season of new beginnings, my encouragement to you is to slow down and look for the miracles that are happening all around you. Look for those things that in the past you may have thought of as “coincidences” and stop to thank God for being active and present in your life.
Over the past six months, there have been many times that I have been discouraged by things not moving in the direction I wanted or expected and in how slow the government can move at times, but when I have stopped to reflect and listen, time and time again God has shown He is present and in control. His interactions let me know that He is with me and I need to remember to TRUST HIM!
Specifically, I want to challenge each of you to do the following:
Start each morning by asking God to show up in your life today
Take time each evening to reflect on your day and write down all the ways that God showed up
Take the time to thank God for being part of your life
God is always with us, but so often we fill our minds and hearts with other things that keep us from seeing God. When we can see God working around us, it helps us to relax and be filled with the knowledge that He will guide us, He will protect us and He will provide for our needs!