Are you ready for transition in your life?

I’ve been sort of stuck in my writing lately.  I know it’s because I’ve let myself become distracted, or maybe I should say a bit obsessed.  To be honest, I’ve been struggling to stay present, be in the NOW.   I feel a bit scatterbrained, but not to the point of crazy woman – yet.

It’s not because anything is wrong or hard in life.  Yay for that, given my last post.  It’s because God is showing Himself in some unexpected ways right now and inviting me to join Him.  It’s all very exciting – hence the scatterbrained state. 

Here’s a bit of what’s been happening.  You may or may not know, but Brian (my husband) is a musician (his passion) -        along with his “day job” as a home remodeler.

Just about everyone I know wants to live life with more purpose and make a living doing what they most love to do.   For some that is easy-peasy.  For others, well it’s downright hard.

At some point in our lives we all just do what we have to do.  Sometimes we have to take that crappy job, or suck it up in the job we have.  We try to be grateful that we have a job and to try to find purpose in it.  We try to find other ways to fulfill our passion. For instance, do it as a part-time job.  Or, work like a mad-man/woman so we can retire early and THEN do our passion.  Or, maybe we just let that part of our hearts die, because it’s too scary and too difficult to see any other alternative.

At this point I’m guessing you are thinking, “Pam, you were just about to share about the exciting things that are happening, and now you have taken this detour to cynical town.”  Yes, you are right, I did make a bit of a U-turn.  However, if you are feeling like you are “doing what you have to do right now,” my hope is that the rest of the story will give you hope or inspire you.

Brian and I have been sensing transition in our lives for quite some time now.  We have been opening up to more purpose, more adventure, and more of a life that feels “fully alive.”  Last year we travelled to Italy and while there we were asking God for direction about this transitional time in our lives.  We visited Assisi and came upon this  plaque.

Brian and I read it at different times and later asked one another what we thought about it. Our reaction was identical. “What God?  We come all the way to Italy for an answer and your answer is to go back home and THEN you will tell us what to do?”  We laughed!  Then we remembered the second half of the quote. “At the break of day St. Francis with his reformed inner-self, desired only to conform to the will of God.”  Note to self: “It always helps to look at the whole picture instead of picking and choosing what I want to focus on.”

Later, I wrote in my journal, “God, how do you want me to conform to your will?  What does that really mean?”   The answer was,” Instead of thinking about My will as an event or something to be DOING, I want you to focus on getting to know Me more, to seek and accept Me more in all areas of your life and to be more like Me.  And through conforming to ME, I will provide opportunities that will give you ways to live out My direction, passion and purpose in your life. “

Hence, conforming to God’s will = Becoming more like Him.  How do I do that?  Get to know Him more.  How do I do that?   Spend time learning how He speaks to me and learn how to listen to Him.

Here we are a year later.  The inner work of conforming to God’s will has deepened my relationship with Him significantly.   And now, He is beginning to manifest the outer work – the opportunities – that will direct us toward living out more of His passion and purpose in our lives.

Opportunity #1:  God has provided the opportunity to participate in a conference/ awards show in Nashville Tennessee that will help Brian move forward in his passion – music.

You can read more about it here.

Opportunity #2: God has been talking to us about missions for years.  Just a few weeks ago a mission organization contacted us and invited us to come to Pokhara, Nepal to lead worship/music for their annual mission’s conference.   To be quite honest, I didn’t even know where Nepal was! (For those of you who don’t know, I play keys and sing.) This conference is a retreat for missionaries from all over the world.  It’s a time set aside just for them, to rejuvenate and recharge.

We have no expectations about the outcome nor do we have a clear direction of where we will be after these two events occur.  However, we know that it is God’s direction for now and we are taking the next right step as He reveals it.  Our lives are already feeling more purposeful, our hearts are becoming more fully alive and we are getting a chance to live out our passions in a greater way.

So what’s your story? What are you sensing God is doing in your life right now?

How is He asking you to conform to His will? Maybe it’s to do some inner work, take a leap of faith, take hold of the opportunities He is giving you, let go of control or fears, trust more…

Would love to hear what God is up to in your life if you feel led to share.

Peace,

Pam

Advertisement