Day 59, 58 & 57. I have chosen to live intentionally toward the goals, dreams and desires God has placed on my heart for the last 90 days of this year, pressing past fear, excuses and discomfort toward fullness of life as we countdown to 2020. Day 59, 58 & 57: taking small steps.
Sunday morning I awakened to a text, “The small choices we make have the power to change the direction of our entire life. Praying for you. The Lord is with you.” Some words of encouragement leave us speechless.
Nearly nine months have passed since I left my full-time pastoral position. As with all pastoral work, it is filled with beauty, mess, redemption, loss, life, salvation and transformation. My very last day was nearly 15 hours and included conducting a funeral for the father of a dear friend, wrapping up final details with my direct reports and volunteers, and doing my best to transition well a church, a people, I deeply loved. I can say with integrity I gave it everything I had until the very end.
Leaving full-time pastoral work has come with moments of deep gratitude and deep mourning. Yet, over the last nine months, God has been faithful with my obedient and at times frightened, “Yes, God.” Over the last nine months I have been able to coach, train and equip over 300 female leaders from across the U.S.—a gift a could have never envisioned my final day at church. Each day has been filled with small choices to build, to risk, to trust, to walk in faith.
As I curled up in bed Saturday night, I was asking God, “Do these small choices REALLY matter? Is the risk all worth it?” So when my dear friend, mentor and spiritual advisor, having no idea what I had prayed the night before texted, “The small choices we make have the power to change the direction of our entire life. Praying for you. The Lord is with you.” It was a direct answer to prayer. It was the encouragement I needed. So, the last few days have been filled with “small choices” that will indeed make a world of difference.
ACTION STEPS: One of the “small choices” I have made over the past few days was to schedule all the doctor appointments I needed to schedule before the end of the year—9 in total for my children and me. My small choice was to remember and act upon caring for this body God has given me, knowing it is in and through this body the work of ministry and life takes place.
What small choice are you making today to step toward God’s best for you? Maybe its rewriting your resume, going to counseling, scheduling those doctor visits you’ve been avoiding or planning a vacation for some much needed rest. Slow. Reflect. Make one small choice in the right direction.
