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But What If...?

 


Tree of Life, Metropolitan Museum of Art

"The only way to get rid of your past is to make a future out of it.  God will waste nothing." ~ Peter Marshall


As the new year rolls around, our minds reflect and revise ("New Year, New You!").  Dreams (old and new) and exciting opportunities bounce around our heads, and then quickly get squashed-

But what if I fail? But what if I look weak?  But what if they don't like me?  But what if I'm not good enough?  But what if this happens again to me? 

Oh the devil does love these statements.  He loves when we have this kind of  thinking because his work is done.  He doesn't even have to try anymore because his thumb is holding us down as we wallow in lies designed to steal our God-given purpose from us.

These inspiring stories of perseverance show an amazing depth of persistence, of not hearing what the devil wanted them to hear:
  • "Chicken Soup for the Soul" was rejected by 130 publishers; has now sold over 500 million copies.
  • Jan Koum was not hired by Facebook, so he created Whats App instead; sold it to FB for $19 million.
  • Starbucks founder was rejected by over 200 banks for an original loan.
  • Thomas Edison "found over 1000 ways to not make a light bulb".
  • Walt Disney was fired from a job for not being creative enough.
  • Colonel Sanders didn't start Kentucky Fried Chicken until he was 60.
  • JK Rowling was turned down by 12 publishers.


If you have had those kind of scaredy cat thoughts (and we all have), fight back with this thought:  Our Creator designed us specifically with purpose, long before we were born:

"You saw me before I was born.  Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed."  Ps 139:16  


"For we are God's masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago."  Eph 2:10

"But the Lord's plans stand firm forever; His intentions can never be shaken." Ps 33:11

"Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for He chose us in advance, and He makes everything work out according to His plan." Eph 1:11



He takes all the loose and frayed threads of our lives and weaves them into our own unique beautiful, detailed tapestry of purpose in Him.  Our own Tree of Life.



God loves us and has designed us with His unique purposes, instills in us the passion, and gives us the power of His Holy Spirit to carry them out.  What a great God we worship!

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."  Romans 12:2

 
But what if ... we listen to what God says about us and ask Him for the strength to live it out?  

✙ The Knot Prayer 
~author unknown

Dear God, 
Please untie the knots that are in my mind, my heart, and my life.  Remove the have nots, can nots, and the do nots.
Erase the will nots, the may nots, and might nots that may find a home in my heart.
Release me from the could nots, would nots, and should nots that obstruct my life. 
And most of all, Dear God, I ask, You remove from  my mind, my heart, 
and my life, all of the am nots that I have allowed to hold me back.
Especially the thought that I am not good enough.  Amen!


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