Right On Time

You know those watches with all the numbers jumbled at the bottom? The ones that normally say, "Whatever. I'm late anyway." As much as I hate to admit it, it would probably make perfect sense for me to own one of those. I hate it because it drives me crazy to be late. I grudgingly admit it because I am almost always late. 

For as bad as I am at following them, I almost always have a schedule. Except on Saturdays, of course. Although I might be a few minutes behind, I tend to stick pretty close to that schedule. Even on vacation, I like to find out when attractions are open and how long I should expect to be there; then I plan in a way that I can fit the most new things into my time.

I used to think I could schedule my life as a whole the same way I like to schedule my daily tasks. But considering I am in my mid-twenties, living with my parents, never been on a date, don't have kids, and still haven't published a book, I'd say the life schedule my 13-year-old self had was thrown out the window a long time ago. I've made some adjustments along the way. Some changes were voluntary. Some weren't.

I'm willing to accept that I might not have had all the right ideas when I was 13. I'm also very glad that God didn't give me some of the things I wanted back then - especially at the time I wanted them. 

But many times, I want to point at the clock and yell at God. "Come on! Don't You know You're late?! Don't You know You're making me late?!" Times like when He promised a mission field in Denmark four years ago, and I'm still in Missouri. Or when I remember He promised healing 13 years ago, and it still hasn't come.

In recent months, God has been talking to me about His timing quite a bit. I must admit that I am a slow learner. The other day, I came across these verses in John 14. "If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you." And God showed me a picture.

He showed me one of those watches with all the numbers fallen. Unlike the watches you can buy at the stores, where the hour and minute hands still rotate as usual, these hands always pointed at the numbers. But they always pointed at the right time. I just couldn't tell because it wasn't where I would expect them to be.

I have often heard it said that God is never late and never early. He is always right on time. When He makes a promise, He keeps it "when everything is ready." When WE are ready. And when HE will get the most glory from it.

I'm still working on it, but now, when I'm struggling with God's timing, all I have to do is look at "His watch." I will be reminded that He knows what time it is. I will be reminded that He is running right on time.

Join in: Do you struggle with God's timing? Are there any promises He has made to you that you are still waiting on? What helps you trust His timing?

After God showed me that picture, I drew the best version of it I could.
Maybe it will help the more visual people out there like it did me.

Let Me Be

To all of you reading... MERRY CHRISTMAS! Earlier this week, I intended to write early enough that I could avoid the cliche Christmas post. As time went on, I spent more time thinking about the Christmas story.  And I decided a Christmas post actually was the best option. However, I still wanted it to be different, so enjoy reading this poem I wrote as I pondered each character of the Christmas story.


Let me be like Mary.
Believing no matter how impossible,
Serving no matter what the cost,
Let me be like Mary.

Let me be like Joseph.
Fearing not the judgement of man,
Obeying what my Lord has said,
Let me be like Joseph.

Let me not be an innkeeper.
Turning away those in need,
Shutting out my Savior.
Let me not be an innkeeper.

Let me be like the angels.
Proclaiming peace between God and man,
Singing praises to be heard across the land,
Let me be like the angels.

Let me be like the shepherds.
Running quickly to find my king,
Sharing all that I have seen,
Let me be like the shepherds.

Let me not be a Herod.
Clinging desperately to my Kingdom,
Fighting violently for control,
Let me not be a Herod.

Let me be like the Magi
Pouring out my greatest gifts,
Seeking more than gold and treasure,
Let me be like the Magi.

Let me be like Simeon and Anna.
Trusting every one of God's promises,
Thanking Him for all He has and will do,
Let me be like Simeon and Anna.

But most of all...

Let me be like You, Jesus.
Living in my Father's will,
Giving up my life for men to know,
Let me be like You.


Join the conversation: The idea behind this poem originally occurred to me while thinking about the shepherds and their reaction to the angel's message. I was challenged by how eager they were to share the news. But then God reminded me that as a Christian, my goal should be to look like Jesus. I know I often fail to accurately reflect Jesus to the world, so as a first step to accepting this challenge, I am going to be focusing on making every decision in God's will (not just the major ones). Which part of the Christmas story are you most challenged by? And what will you do to meet that challenge?

His Court

The whistle blows, and the game begins. The tallest members from each team jump as high as they can, hoping to beat the opponent to the ball so they can pass it to their team. Once the ball is in play, the offense runs down the court, getting ahead of the defense. The point guard dribbles the ball down the court while the other players take their positions, waiting on her to call the play.

When I was younger, I was on the school basketball team. Back in those days, I was NEVER the point guard. I wasn't a good enough ball handler, and even if I had been, I wouldn't have wanted the responsibility. You see, the point guard is in control of the play. They tell the rest of the team where to move. They choose who gets the pass. There was no way I was going to be able to do all that. For goodness' sake, I didn't even want to shoot half the time; I just wanted to get the ball out of my hands once it was there.

But I've recently discovered that I'm trying to be the point guard. And a ball hog to top it off.

Here's the thing. In life (sports not included), I like to be in control. Sometimes, I even feel like I'm doing a great job. I'm really getting somewhere. And then I realize I'm just running in circles. There are no points on the score board. I might not be losing yet, but I'm certainly not winning either.

I'm learning that God is a much better point guard than I am in my life.

Whether it's my job, my hobbies, my finances, my time, the fulfillment of my dreams, or relationships with those around me, God has a much better plan in mind than I do. He knows the other players better than I do, on both teams. He knows what I need to do to work best with my teammates. He knows what weaknesses the opposition will try to bring out and can help me prepare for them or avoid them all together.

When I run the show, I run wherever there's an opening. When He runs the show, He tells me where to be. When I run the show, I hope I get the chance to shoot. When He runs the show, He creates opportunities for me to put the ball in the basket.

God isn't a ball hog either. He might be the star that demands -- and deserves -- all the glory for the win. But He lets others join in the fun of the game.

So I'm learning, once again, to let God run things. After all, it is His court I'm playing on.

What areas of your life do you need to let God call the shots in?

"Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere." - Psalms 84:10a

All His

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." - Mark 12:30

Hello, my name is Nicole. I'm a Christian. I'm a daughter, sister, and friend. I am a Tiger, graduated from the University of Missouri - Columbia (and sadly cannot brag about my football team this year). While I was there, I was part of the campus ministry, Mizzou Chi Alpha. I'm currently a social worker. And I am looking forward to one day being a missionary in Denmark.

If you just read that paragraph, you now know the things I consider to be integral parts of who I am. If you reread the sentence after my name you will know what I believe is THE most important aspect of my identity. Not because of who it says I am.

But because of WHOSE it says I am.

I am God's. He created me. He died for me. He loves me. I am His. All His.

If you've read my blog at all before, you probably know that's the title of it. You might have even read the subheading underneath that title. But I've realized recently that when I started this blog, I never really introduced myself or explained my purpose for writing here. So I've decided to do that now. And since I'm planning to make writing a more regular occurrence, now's as good a time as any.

Allowing myself to be all His is a process. There's something I have to give to Him every single day. And sometimes, that can be the same thing every day for a week or a month or a year. Sometimes, it only takes a day, but I have to do it again a year later. That's normal because, like you, I'm human. I want to love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. That's what it means to be all His. But I'm not quite there yet.

And that's why I write these posts. I want to share my journey of giving more to Him. I want to share my journey so you can see what He's doing in my life and hopefully be encouraged to allow Him to work in yours. I want to help you become all His as well.

So, feel free to share your own introduction in the comments. Let's get to know each other and encourage one another in this journey.

Fan the Flame

Picture this. It's your birthday, and you sit surrounded by a pile of presents. You reach for the first one, and it's that movie you've been dying to see since it was in theaters. You immediately put it in the DVD player. You reach for the second and tear into it. It's a book that's been on your reading list for quite some time now. By the time you've reached the bottom of the pile, you've got quite a collection going. All from people who care about you.

Based on my experience, you're going to do one of three things with those gifts. 

1. Use it as often as possible
2. Put it on a shelf or in the back of the closet and forget about it.
3. Run to every store in town and hope one of them will give you a refund or trade it without a receipt

Ever had one of those gifts that you wanted to take back and couldn't? I have. I remember one particular year, I received a purse for Christmas. Nowadays, I'd probably be glad to have a new purse, but back then, I hated it. I was not into anything a typical preteen girl would be into, and wondered why some of my family members hadn't figured that out quite yet.

What about those gifts that get forgotten? I own books from five or more years ago that are still on my reading list because I found a new book that seemed more interesting.

Now stop and think about this. What gifts has God given to you? It could be one of the spiritual gifts specifically listed in the New Testament. It could be a talent or skill. It could be an education. It could be a job or people in your life. It could be a relationship - or even the lack of one. 

With each of those gifts, you have a choice of what to do with it. 

1. You can develop it, make it stronger and use it for His glory.
2. You can neglect it, forget to practice it and let it slowly die.
3. Or you can try to give it back.

Recently, God has been challenging me to use all the gifts He's given me. And I say challenge because that's exactly what it is. I have at least one gift He's been holding out for years, and I keep pointing at the gifts He's given other people, asking for those instead. But now I'm trying to learn how to not only receive it, but use it.

I also have gifts He's asked me to take off the shelf. My writing is one of those gifts. Writing this post is a means of holding myself accountable. My goal is to share at least two posts per month, and if you notice that's not happening, feel free to call me on it. Also, if there are any topics you would like for me to address, please share, and I'll see what I can do. I'm not an expert on much of anything, but I can always share what God is teaching me.

By the way, that purse I so desperately wanted a refund for, I ended up using about five years later. Every day for months, and I liked it. Those old books, I'm reading them now, and they're life-changing. And I get the feeling that accepting, using and developing the gifts God has given me is going to be even better.

So join me in this challenge. Share with me and others:

• What gifts has God given you?
• What have you been doing with them up to this point?
• What are you going to do now to develop them and use them for His glory?

"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gif of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands." - 2 Timothy 1:6 (NIV)

Because of Love

"If you love Me, keep my commands." - John 14:15

"What is your why?"

That's what a friend asked me last week when I told her about a challenge I was facing. A challenge that came while doing what God has called me to do. I knew when I decided to be obedient to Him that this particular calling would be inherently hard. But I saw a need, and I was excited to let God use me to meet that need.

So when my friend asked why I had decided to do what God asked of me, I was able to give her a list of reasons. There's a need. There's brokenness. God can fix it. To be honest, the biggest reason was simply that God told me to do it.

Throughout life, God is going to ask us to do many things. Some things will make sense, and others won't. Some will be easy, and some will be hard. Every time He asks, we have to choose if we will be obedient or not. (I highly, highly recommend obedience.)

In my life, I've had to learn obedience. When I have chosen to do what God says, I've normally had a reason for it. Here are a few of those reasons.

1. I'm a Christian, so it's what I'm supposed to do.
2. He's God, and I know I'll eventually give in anyway, so why wait?
3. I haven't heard anything new from Him since I decided not to do what He said, and I'm tired of it.
4. And in the last two years or so, I trust Him because I know He knows better than I do.

All reasons I have used. I actually thought I was doing well when I was choosing to obey Him out of trust rather than obligation or need. But NONE of those are the motivations God wants us to have when we obey Him.

This week, for the first time in my life, I understood why He said that if we love Him, we'll obey Him.

You see? When my friend first asked why I was doing this specific task, the reasons I listed helped get me through the next few days. But then things got even harder. Suddenly, those reasons didn't seem good enough. Even trusting God didn't seem good enough. The trouble just didn't seem worth it anymore. Even though I knew it would be disobedient and keep me from part of His purpose for my life, I wanted to quit.

But God reminded me of the need I saw when He first asked me to do this. He reminded me that He's the one who showed me the need. He showed me, because it breaks His heart too. But unlike me, He can do something about it. He can free people. He can restore relationships. He can heal wounded bodies and broken hearts. He can bring purpose and fulfillment. If only someone will lead people to Him.

That's when I realized something. No matter how much we want to please God, no matter how much we trust that He knows best, eventually, we get tired or hurt or both (by people, not God). Those reasons to do as He says are no longer enough. But if we truly love Him, we'll stick with it. We'll stick with it because what breaks His heart, breaks our hearts as well. We'll stick with it because we want to see Him do what only He can do. We'll stick with us because we know it brings Him joy to use us.

So, what's your why? What has God called you to do and are you being obedient? If you are following Him, what's your reason? If you're not, what will it take to change your heart?