On my birthday I got to spend time with a few of my very favorite people in the world. My sweet friend Amy asked me what should have been a pretty easy question. I turned 30 this year, so she asked "where do you see yourself in 10 years?" I gave some crappy, vague answer that basically the last 10, even just the past 5 years, have been so life changing, so full of thing I never could have imagined that I can't imagine what life would be like in 10 years. Way to avoid the question, right? I'm gonna say she gave me birthday grace because normally she would call me out on that vague mess! But it did get me thinking and even better got me praying.
It's VERY easy for me to be happy doing what's in front of me right now. I am not a task oriented person AT ALL. I am very relational. So I tend to have a hard time planning things because I think more about the people than the task. Does that make since? I know that I want to help others grow in their calling, help them develop leadership skills. But it's so much easier to think about that with a specific person or group in mind than A broad checklist. But like the old quote says "fail to plan, plan to fail. " So here is my new answer to the next 10 years:
First, 10 years from now I want my marriage to be stronger and healthier than ever. I look forward to sharing what The Lord has done in our marriage and how far he has brought us. Lane and Bethany will be 15 and 13 😳 I pray that they will both love the Lord with their whole hearts. I pray they still want to talk to Chris and I and that they trust us. I pray that they have a passion for purity. I pray they are full of kindness and compassion. I want them to know what they believe in and stand firm but be known for what they are for rather than what they are against.
If you know me well, you know I have a huge passion for Called to Lead. I love serving in this area - helping leaders discover their purpose and helping to equip them to lead the way Christ led. I have a desire to share this with other churches. I don't know exactly how this will look or when this will happen but I know the Lord has put this on my heart.
Finally, I believe writing will be a big part of my life. Several months ago I felt like the Lord was telling me to blog more - so I have. I've also started journaling more. I'm not sure why - I don't view myself as an especially gifted writer. I'm sure many of my former English teachers cringe with each post. But for now I will be obedient and trust that if He wants to use me and I make myself available he can do something extraordinary with my average at best words. Like my son learns in kids church - do your best and God will do the rest.
So now I'm in the process of figuring out what I need to be doing now to prepare myself for then.
Have you thought about what the next 10 years might look like for you? It's pretty exciting to dream and the beauty of it is that if I'm wrong and the Lord has something completely different in store, I still know that all my preparation will not be in vain. I will have grown and my family will be stronger. But if I don't plan now and simply drift through life for the next decade then I certainly won't be ready to be used by God.
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