Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Purpose. Glory.

The other day my mom said, "God has great plans for your life." Has. Like He has yet to give them to me.

In the past I imagined "great plans" meant long term missions to remote tribes, authorship of best-selling books, speaking events. When I was a kid there was always a sense that something better was coming down the pike if I could just hold on for it. I interpreted this to mean that "regular" life was not and could never be purposeful.

David Crowder has a new song that Dave and I can't stop listening to and it's called the Glory of it All. The chorus goes like this:
Oh, the glory of it all
Is He came here
For the rescue of us all
That we may live
For the glory of it all
Oh, the glory of it all
(David Crowder)

I believe that I'm living the Great Plans God has for me, though my life has never been more regular in well, the "regular" sense. These Great Plans are this relationship with God; His rescue of me. Additionally, I have people in my life to love and be loved by. Also Great.

I was probably 12 years old when I wrote a letter to Elisabeth Elliot and asked her, "Why do we exist? Why does God exist? What's the point of everything?" When you are a 12-year-old home school girl, you are pretty sure somebody like Elisabeth Elliot will have the answer to this question. She replied to me - which was more exciting than getting a letter from Madonna (also thanks to the home school life) - and said simply that this is a question that philosophers have asked for ages. Since we are human we do not understand everything. I got the impression that she was saying ... for the glory of it all.

Here is to that glory in my life today. The purpose I have in faith spills out into purpose in the ways I love Dave, Haven, my little girl, my sisters, parents, friends ... and the people who are less easy to love. May you find the glory of your life, may you see that it is not just a tiny distant speck but an enormous present light.

4 comments:

lindsay said...

Jen, I love this post! I just wrote something about this recently. I was reflecting on how God has meaning in each day for us. There is always a chance to grown and learn wherever we are, whatever we are doing. Good one!

lindsay said...

p.s. your comment about "pray for collin and linds cards" on our blog made us both CRACK UP. also a good one.

millay said...

Jen, these are the things that have been churning in my mind the past few months as i´ve been bumbling around south america. And this post is like an articulation of what my heart settled on. thanks!

jes said...

nice one jen. i really like how your worded this all. and yes you are living it. we were always told that we were "planning and getting ready" always the future....what will happen...what might happen. all we have is now. maybe now in our 20's we can finally live today. now.
sounds like you, me, millay and linds are all on the same page. thank god for friends!!!!