Give me a word, Lord: FOLLOWING

Hebrews 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, I and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—
may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

I Corinthians 1:26-29 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

What does following Jesus look like? It looks very different depending on who is answering the question. Some follow Jesus by trailing behind. They stay just close enough to see Him, but not really close enough to get involved. Some follow by getting a little bit closer, but they still keep Him at a distance. They recognize the presence and sovereignty of the Lord, but they still aren’t all in. Then there are those that follow so closely they can feel the presence of the Savior. These are the ones that are totally in it. They are invested. They are serving, following, reading the Word, studying, and sharing Christ with others. I think we all go through these different stages at certain points in our life. I know that I have been in each stage myself. Currently, I find myself in the “all in it” stage of following, and this is where I want to stay.

Everybody has a different story, a different testimony. I always thought that I didn’t really have a great story to tell, but my God, oh but God, He decided that this wordy , kinky haired girl from south Mississippi had a lot to say, so He decided to put this girl to work telling others about Him. It happened very gradually, and by happen chance. My husband and I went on two different foreign mission trips, and God grabbed a hold of my heart. Oh, He already had me before that point, but I was more in the trailing behind or the getting a little bit closer but not reaching out and touching stage of my walk. Then, one Sunday night at church, we had a fifth Sunday singing. At that singing some of the ladies and gentlemen read poetry. It was beautiful. Y’all, I can’t sing. I’ve shared that numerous times. I sound akin to a cat who has its tail caught under a rocking chair with someone steadily rocking. It’s not pretty. But, I love to write. I used to write poetry in high school. I never published any of it, but I enjoyed writing. Well, after that fifth Sunday singing, I told my husband that I was going to write a poem for church. Then I promptly told him that I was going to write a poem about the five skunks we had just rescued, and it was going to be a church poem. Well, he laughed, and with his ever supporting, loving heart, he said, “I don’t now how you’re going to pull it together, but go for it.” So I did. One day I wrote the words to “Stinking Thinking”. I had planned to read it at our next fifth Sunday singing, but God had other plans. I read it to my sister, Chandra, and she said, “You’ve just written a children’s book. You’ve got to get that published.” I argued and told her that it wasn’t a book. It was just a poem for church. She insisted, and I shared it with my husband. He agreed, and I began to pray about it. I sent the book to Christian Faith Publishing, and within a week, they called me and asked to publish my book.

After “Stinking Thinking” was published, I submitted “A Raccooon Tale”, and before I knew it, I had two children’s books in circulation. One book tells the salvation story through the rescue of baby skunks, and the second one tells us how to model our lives after Christ by using raccoon behaviors. Both books are simple, but they share Christ, and that was my desire. Suddenly, words began to form on paper. I carried a notebook with me everywhere, and I began recording funny farm stories. I’ve written chapters while having my oil changed, waiting in the dentist’s office, and while traveling on vacation. We live on a true funny farm with a menagerie of farm and exotic animals, and I tell you nothing but the truth when I say that we have some real funny stories occurring here on a daily basis. I wrote the stories and related them to biblical truths and scripture, and my most recent publication, “Inspirations from the Funny Farm,” was the fruit of my labors. Now, I am writing this blog. I get up every morning, and I pray, “Give me a word, Lord.” I pray for God to give me an idea, something to work with, something to share, something to encourage, or something to lead others to Him. I started writing these morning devotionals almost seven months ago, and the words keep coming. God is so good y’all.

I am nothing special. I am not a professional writer or blogger. I am just a girl who loves the Lord. I’m a nurse practitioner by trade, a wife, mother, grandmother, and farmer by the grace of God, and I’m a writer by the gift of God. I saw this meme on the internet that reads “When God put a calling on your life, He already factored in your stupidity. Most comforting thing I’ve ever heard.” Isn’t that the truest statement ever? God called me to write, and I’m writing. He knows all of my faults, my weaknesses, and my shortcomings, but still, He chooses to use me. I’m going to follow Him with all I have in me because I know that is what I am supposed to be doing.

God doesn’t want us to be half way in . He wants us to be fully following and trusting Him. He created us for His glory, and if we aren’t serving and glorifying Him, what are we doing? We are called to follow. How are you following today?