It’s no easy thing to love people and have a desire to encourage them and their passions-but to have space energy and time to follow through with the very things that God has placed upon my own heart.
How do we do this well????? I wonder if you’ve worked it out yet.
Even discovering what are our own God dreams are, can be a time intensive activity, albeit a life giving one.
So what do we do? How do we know which path is ours?
How do we know if what we are doing now, is the God ordained one for us.
The answers to these and many other questions are the things that I’ve been tossing around for a while with God. They recently heightened, as we received an influx of invites and opportunities to support good friends and family members in their own God projects and passions.
To List the kind of things we have had come up as a family in just one month:
- 2 x Mission Trips
- 2x Trivia nights to support Mission trips
- Fundraising night for Pakistan orphans
- Movie night to support Kampala
- Ugandan orphan support fundraiser
- Collecting items to send to Africa
- Ladies day for women who are hungry to encounter God – worship leading
- Opportunity to speak at church
All of these opportunities were asked of us over the past 4 weeks, all were amazing opportunities….and because I care for each of these people, they are important to me – so is what they are doing with God…but the question is – am I to invest in their project and if so – to what degree?
Am I to bless them and continue on my own dream with God?
How do I know which one is best, not just good?
In the past my own God adventure would often go to the bottom of the list and I would support and sometimes adopt other others’ visions to the delay of my own.
If on the rare occasion I did choose to follow my own vision over someone else’s, the guilt’s would begin to rain on down upon me thick and fast. As not being involved in some form, seemed callous and cold – not at all like what the Father would want me to be. And yet…..I’d end up so exhausted from caring, I barely had enough left for my own mission and dreams.
(I am not sure whether anyone else out there can relate….)
It’s been a tug on my heart, because I was always taught to be unselfish, servant hearted and giving to others. So by supporting another vision, do I then let go of my own God given passion? This was a question I was willing to go deeper in with God, because I needed answers.
How do I do this, whilst still honouring another person’s vision???
So I asked Father, What are your thoughts?
I have designed you to encourage others, but not at the cost of yourself My child.
I desire you to listen to my heartbeat for you. Let my Spirit guide you through this challenging time.
There are many good things in this world, I want you to have my BEST!
Sometimes this will mean waiting.
Sometimes it will mean saying no.
Sometimes it will mean saying yes to what I’ve placed on your heart.
Sometimes I just want you to rest with me and be refreshed so that the world can have my best, given by you!
I was truly inspired and freed up by these words from the Father to me.
He also impressed upon me that following the peace, was one of the ways He would show me whether I was to invest or rest.
He was not putting the pressure on me….so why was I?
I am so encouraged by being able to support and encourage my friends and family in their own God adventures – but have discovered that I only want to be involved in the ones that He wants me to be a part of. Otherwise I pray blessing upon them and check in with them occasionally as life permits. This is where my peace is strong. In this place, I can be free to love them, without the condition of having to give fully of myself at the cost of my own God adventure.
This means that I can be free to follow my own God given vision with God – and release the rest for Him to support and resource and it means the same for you too.
Be released to step out of performance and people pleasing mentality and be free to fly as you were beautifully designed!!!
Psalm 32:8
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.
Romans 12:2
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
John 4:34
Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.