Christmas causes us to pause, and remember the humility of our Savior, to save us from ourselves. The world we live in is self-consumed. Yet, Jesus reminds us, we fully live when we are self-less. The Savior of the World, who had all the power available to make His circumstances easier, instead choose to selflessly trade heaven for earth!

There’s a lot to be said about our time, and how we are willing to spend it. God is purposeful, layering opportunities into each day of our lives for us to seize and embrace — things which He knows will bring joy to our hearts and peace to our souls on weary days when all we want to do is hide under a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit - fruit that will last - and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you” (John 15:16).

We were created to bring glory to God in everything we do, but each of us have been created with specific purpose. God’s ways are not our ways, so to be aligned with His will for our lives requires us to seek a relationship with Him. He communicates with us mainly thorough His Word. God assures us, through Scripture, when we seek Him with all of our hearts, we will find Him.

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Psalm 23 is one of the most beloved, popular, and well-known Psalms. David, the author of the psalm, was able to perfectly capture who God is in light of who we are. In a world where we are encouraged to go our own way and live our own truth, Psalm 23 reminds us to submit our lives to God’s Truth, and faithfully follow His way.

“He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” (1 Thessalonians 5:10-11).

Life within the love of Christ is filled with joy, peace, love, hope, forgiveness and mercy …but Jesus promised, it isn’t easy. From the very beginning, God declared it was not good for us to be alone. When Jesus was preparing to ascend to heaven to His Father, He promised we would never be alone, by the power of the Holy Spirit He would give to those who believe in Him. Community is layered into the fabric of who, and Whose, we are.

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The power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christ followers is a supernatural ability to notice and do things we would never notice or do outside of life within the love of Jesus. When we yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, really cool stuff begins to happen.

To be a servant isn’t just to get things done for others, it flips our entire perspective and shifts the countenance of our hearts to align with the purpose God put us on this earth for – to love others, and bring glory to Him.

Our Father in heaven, our Good Father, commands us to love one another! If our earthly fathers have this wish, how much more does our heavenly Father intend for His children, all His perfect creation, to love one another as they love Him?

Eight hands clasped together. Four heads bowed. One prayer voiced for direction.

“God, is this Your will,” we prayed, “or our plans?”

We didn’t want to move forward, which meant moving out of the forever home we had built, unless it was in God’s time, by His will, and for His glory.

“If it’s not your plan, let us know,” we pleaded.

“If it is Your will we move,” we asked, “could You send us a sign so we know for sure it’s You and not us?”

When we seek God with all of our hearts, we will find Him. He is faithful to His Word, and earnestly wants us to discover His will for our lives. He loves us so much He gave His only Son for us. No care or concern of ours is minuscule to God. If it matters to us, it matters to Him. He tells us in Scripture to lift our worries up to Him, because He cares for us.

He faithfully answered my family’s are-You-sure-God prayer in a way we never could have accomplished on our own. It was confirmed. He was calling us to serve another community, as a family. And with His assured blessing, our excitement grew!

God’s plan for our lives is perfect, but the world isn’t. There will always be doubts, delays, and hurdles to leap over. But when the favor of God is upon our lives, His peace surrounding our situations surpasses all understanding. As I write today, we don’t know when our new home will be ready to hold our lives. We know where our new assignment is, but the rest will unravel when we get there, and that day is one only God Himself knows right now.

Finding the patience to wait out the unknown is extremely difficult. The only way we can navigate times of unrest and uncertainty is by giving our questions to the One from Whom the plan to move originally came! He is able to complete what He has begun. The timing is for Him to know, and us to discover. Below are verses to cling to in seasons of waiting and transition.

God is good, all of the time. All of the time, God is good. When we keep our eyes on Him, we will make it through to walk out the plans He has for us. His plans that are more than we can ask for or imagine. In His time, by His will, for His glory.

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Human beings were created to believe in the miraculous work of God. We were created in His image, each knit with unique purpose which cannot be carried out by anyone else on this earth. Even the generation we have been set in is purposeful. We were chosen to believe.

Undoubtedly, life upon the surface of this earth comes with its fair share of pain, injustice, heartache, and just plain heartbreak. But the pathway to happiness can be found in the pursuit of life within the love of Christ Jesus. Happiness is found in following Him. And even when it fades, the enduring joy of Jesus remains.

“Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him” (Psalm 62:5).

Quiet moments are worth fighting for. Cutting across the water at sunset, the lake like glass and the sky bursting into its finale of color, brings the sovereignty of God to the top of my mind. The engine is whirring and the music is playing. There are kids laughing and bursting out into song. Yet my soul finds quiet moments in that space – moments of peace, calm, and clarity. When I feel so closely connected to my Creator, it’s as if we’re having a private conversation.

The fight to get quiet doesn’t always mean finding a silent space. Sometimes the ringing from a quiet house is more distracting than the white noise present in a peace-filled moment. Our creative God switched the pattern for each person He created. It makes sense our quiet moments would be unique as well.

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Re-starting can be a fresh start, but sometimes starting over isn’t the path we choose for ourselves. There are times in life when God redirects our attention in a direction we did not plan to, and might not want to, obediently go. In those moments, it’s important to get quiet with the Lord, and ask Him to confirm His calling.

God’s will is unstoppable. The adventure of our lives is following Christ in pursuit of Him, discovering purpose and growing closer to Him along the way.  “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).