By Barbara Rainey
First posted on EverThineHome.com
One Wednesday morning our Bible study leader asked us all to answer the same question: “What are you passionate about for God and His kingdom?” About 30 of us were present … young moms, middle-age moms, new empty nesters and a faithful group of women in their 70’s who we all admired.
One by one came the answers around the circle, each becoming more specific and enthusiastic. Not surprisingly the first few answers were a little predictable and safe: “I love God’s Word” and, “I love studying God’s Word.” All true because these women had proven by their faithful attendance over many years that they loved the Bible.
But then came the replies that reminded me of how differently God has created each of us:
“I am passionate about children, which is why we are foster parents.”
“God has given my husband and me a deep desire to befriend and reach His chosen people the Jews. So we go to temple as often as we can to get to know them and help them see Jesus.”
“I love babies, and it breaks my heart that women don’t understand that a tiny person with feelings lives inside them when they’re pregnant. So my husband and I often go to abortion clinics to meet the women in crisis and try to find ways to help.”
“I too am passionate about children. So my husband and I have started a ministry in our county named The Call to recruit other families to be foster parents so that no child in our county will ever be unwanted.”
What did I say? At the time I was busy creating new resources for Ever Thine Home, so I said, “I am passionate about God’s Word and His beauty, which is why I’m working harder than I ever have to create beautiful objects, worthy of His name, for women to use in their homes to proclaim His name and tell His story.”
By the time we finished, we felt a sense of awe and worship at the very individual ways God was at work in each woman’s life. I saw how the body of Christ can actually accomplish God’s purposes if each of us fulfills His design for our lives. It reminded me of these words from Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
But it can’t happen if we get sidetracked by the enemy who wants us to compare ourselves with others, succumbing to the temptation to copy what someone else is doing rather than listening to God’s voice for you. The glory of God is the wonder of His one-of-a-kind calling and work in every believer.
What are you passionate about for God and His kingdom?
If you’ve never thought about this question before, ask God to show you your passion and the unique plans He has for your life. And If you do know your passion, pray that God will open up opportunities for you to follow it.
Would you join me and other women who are discovering and embracing His workmanship, His divinely ordered collection of gifts, talents, personality and, yes, also the limitations He has given you? Listen for His leading and follow. He has plans for you that are for no one else.
And know that His purposes change and evolve with the seasons of your life.
He is infinitely creative to be rigid with your life!
If you enjoyed reading this, be sure to read some other posts by Barbara on walking with God:
My Heart, Ever His: Prayers for Women (NEW from Barbara Rainey)
As we search for meaning in our world of shallow online relationships and glamorized selfies, many are returning to traditional and liturgical churches. The repeated words, benedictions, and historic hymns connect us to saints who have gone before, giving us a sense of belonging, richness, and transcendence. Written prayers, once cast off as archaic, are now welcomed as guides to tune our hearts to the heart of God.
In My Heart, Ever His Barbara Rainey shares 40 prayers for women. Readers can read and meditate on one prayer throughout the week or read a prayer a day for 40 days as a way to express the longing of our hearts to our Father who loves us even as he sees who we truly are. Like the psalms of David, these prayers are honest, sometimes raw. Barbara uses these transparent expressions of common female experiences to encourage us to surrender to Christ and help us see God as he is, not as we assume him to be. My Heart, Ever His provides a stepping-stone to help you become more transparent with God and discover his welcoming embrace.
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