Linking In

What a glorious summer this has been so far.  It occurred to me that we have only 4 more weekends before my daughter starts back to school.  I have so much to squeeze in before this summer comes to an end.  Isn’t it funny that we tend to feel that way?  Like time is running out and there is so much more we want to do.

I am very blessed in that summer at my house is a time when we really slow down.  I mean REALLY slow down.  Many mornings are spent on my back porch sitting on the swing, talking to God, reading, listening to music…and after lunch, we usually make it up to the pool for a swim.  Anyway, this year, although I have still kept my time quiet for the most part, I have managed to be quite productive (later in the day of course…grin). I am so grateful for this life I have been given.

So I am a person of lists. I like to make lists and cross off the things I accomplish.  I am so weird that I will often write the things I did on the list just so see myself cross them off.  I know there is someone reading this that can relate. 

Last week I realized I had crossed off all of my summer projects on my list.  So I was at a point where I needed to figure out what to do with my time at home.  I decided to get on ‘Linked In’ and get my “corporate ducks” in a row, so to speak.

Wow, did I get sucked in!  These social media sites are truly amazing.  You can connect with people so easily…people you have not seen in years!  Immediately, I started considering a part time position back in the corporate world and just what that may look like. 

Let me just interject a few key things here.  First, I think I mentioned before that I had a pretty good ride up the corporate ladder.  I did pretty well, especially to be as young as I was.  But let me assure you that I was materialistic- not to mention egotistical and I simply worked so I could have fun.  I wanted to make lots of money so I could indulge myself in expensive cars, expensive trips and live an extravagant lifestyle.  It was all about ME. I lived my life in a pattern of sin that I would give anything to take back.

Second, when I quit working to stay home with my baby, I realized I was made to be a mother.  I had never felt such love for anyone or anything.  For the first time ever, I knew I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.  I had a real purpose.  God made me to be a mommy and boy did I (do I) love it!

Third, over the past few years, I have felt a sense of urgency to devote significant time and energy into learning more about God.  I have been seeking His direction and feel He is preparing me for some kind of ministry, even if it is simply one for my daughter and husband.  Though doctrine humble, I continue to grow more and more Christ-confident.  And I have changed so much for the better (still a ways to go of course).

With all of that being said, why on earth was I putting together my resume on Linked In and lining myself up for a corporate comeback????

This morning, I started my quiet time by reading 1 Peter 1.  Although the bible I read from is NIV, I usually read my devotions on my phone which is NLT.  From 1 Peter 1, here is what I read:

¹³ So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. ¹⁴ So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. ¹⁵ But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. ¹⁶ For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”  NLT

Convicted, I decided to check it out in other versions….just to compare and see what the other translations said.  From my bible, the NIV version said this:

¹³ Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵ But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”- NIV

Finally, I wanted to see what The Message said.  I do love to compare different versions….and if you have not checked out The Message, you really should.  It is the easiest to read version which speaks clearly to our generation.

^13-16 So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”- The Message

Now certainly someone could say that I am taking that out of context and just applying it to my own situation right now.  But I know this is God speaking to me.  Directly to me.  And there is so much more to dissect than the parts that I high-lighted here.  But I especially like the part that says, “you didn’t know any better then” or “when you lived in ignorance.”  Grace.  That’s what that is.  Thankfully, God gives me grace because I truly didn’t know better back then.  But really, I do now.  Praise Him!

God speaks to us and it is usually through His Word.  Yes, there is danger in taking scripture out of context and applying it to your specific situations in life.  I have learned that it is imperative that you understand the author of the text and who the original audience was.  You also have to look at the gap between the original audience’s culture and ours today.  You have to be careful to see the overriding principle in the scripture and you have to be careful to ensure the message you are interpreting is aligned with the overall character of God.

But don’t let fear of getting it wrong stop you from seeking God and His counsel.  Rather, be confident He wants to communicate with you.  Be confident He knows your heart, your past, your sins, your weaknesses, and your future.  Let Him guide you.  He loves you and has a good plan for your life.

Please don’t misunderstand and hear me saying that having a corporate life or working outside the home is a bad thing.  I so enjoyed some consulting I did a couple of years ago and I hope to do some more.  The difference is that the work I did ten years ago was all about me…satisfying my own desires.  Whereas the work I did a few years ago was truly about using a gift God had given me to serve others.  It was such a blessing.  Personally, I must be certain that the person I am “linking in” is who I am TODAY, not who I was ten years ago.  And I must seek opportunities that will glorify Him and not me. 

Most people I know are so blessed in that they have so many choices of how to spend their time and energy.  A few months ago, I was feeling anxious about feeling like God wanted me to do certain things and I was not getting them done.  I felt like He had a list of things that I was to check off and I was simply falling short.  My mentor listened to me and gently said, “instead of seeing these as things you have to do, why don’t you see them as things you can do?  See them as possibilities that would be within God’s plan for you but not as requirements.”

Wow!  What freedom there is to that!  God has given us all so many gifts.  And his plan is vast…There are so many things we all can do.  I guess the bullet point here is just “be holy.”   

Here’s my song this time… J

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVgfHz_f4Os