Steady Does It: The Next Door of Opportunity
As the sagacious icon from our childhood fables would say, slow and steady wins the race. The tortoise has become known for his unwavering steadfastness in contrast to the hasty, overconfident hare.
I find this to be good life advice as well. Quick, sporadic bursts of energy are often short-lived and temporarily effective, neither sustainable long-term nor fruitful in ongoing endeavors.
The Christian life requires enduring perseverance. Circumstances are tragic, temptation is constant, and doubt is nagging. Not only do we face the usual pressures and problems of human existence, but also the spiritual tension of dealing with the flesh while living for God. There are moments when it feels utterly exhausting.
There are moments when it feels like the fight won’t end, the finish line won’t come, the dawn won’t break. But I encourage you as the Lord has been faithfully encouraging me this season: It will.
God won the battle, rewards the runner who endures till the end, and will forever be the source of light that illuminates eternity.
First Corinthians 15:57 says God gives victory through Jesus Christ.
James 1:12 promises, “When he has stood the test [the man who remains steadfast under trial] will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him.”
The ultimate, eternal prize is the light of God’s presence, “for the glory of God gives [the city] light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Revelation 21:23).
We grow weary, but our faithful God always encourages our hearts and uplifts our spirits.
He walks with us in valleys and victories, giving us rest and restoration. His steadfast love keeps us steady; His faithfulness makes us faithful followers.
God’s Provision: I am so comforted by Isaiah 26:3. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” God is an anchor, compass, and northern star for us.
Word of the Week: Moor is the action of fastening a boat or seafaring vessel to the shore or an anchor in order to “make it fast.” In my world, God’s steadfast love is the weighty rope and His faithfulness the sturdy cable that secures me to Him day in and day out. Tides rise and fall, waves crash and swell, but my inner being is stable, firm, and steady.
Painstaking, maybe. But we are not running alone. Slow and steady wins the race.
Abby
Dear Younger Me,
If the chores don’t get done, it doesn’t mean you failed. You will find yourself in seasons of your life when the dishes stack up and the laundry sits on the floor, halfway done. Your desk could be a mess, and the bathroom needs cleaned, but I hope you will give yourself grace to see that you don’t have to live up to the expectation of having everything done all the time. Because sometimes, you just can’t get it all done.
You are always making steps of progress, even if the project isn’t done when you want it to be. And it’s also okay to rest, you really need to. You will have seasons where it seems like everything is happening all at once, and you can’t do it all. But you can do some, so I hope you realize, you can be okay with some. Should you strive for perfection and living the life God has called you to of serving? Absolutely. But you also need to remember that God knows you aren’t perfect. And He’s also called you to rest. Look at your responsibilities from that view, and I think you’ll see your mindset change.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
All the times you’ve tiptoed around other women because you think they don’t like you or you’re afraid they won’t…what if you just chose to pursue their friendship instead of giving in to your fears? You fear that they don’t want your company or think that you aren’t cool enough, but what if they are fighting insecurity just like you? Or what if you just find their personality hard to read? Mom will remind you of the practice of just asking that person about their life. People do enjoy talking about themselves! But your questions will show you care, and I think it’ll direct your focus away from thinking about yourself and being self-centered. You’ll get to freely love as God calls. There’s always a desire to be wanted – wanting others to reach out first, showing that they want a friendship. So maybe you could be the one to reach out. I hope that the less you consider your insecurities and the more you choose to just invest in the lives of the people around you, you will find some sweet friendships and beautiful connections.
Love,
Megan
Dear Younger Me,
Allow feedback to grow you, not hurt you. It doesn’t feel good when others point out ways you can improve, because you want to be seen as perfect. However, though it may not feel good, you can take that feedback and apply it in a constructive way to grow. And receiving feedback does not mean you are awful at what you are doing. It’s just a training moment. Like when Mom pointed out to you that you weren’t very nice with your words to your sisters, and she had you look up every verse about words in the Bible. It wasn’t a condemnation of you, but a training moment for you to learn how to live and speak righteously. You must allow others to speak into your life kindly and gently and allow them to correct you, whether in your work or your walk with God. Like it says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” If you really seek growth and to be the best you can be, you must let others speak into your life.
Love,
Megan
Many things take many forms. For instance, rest. Some find it in a nap, vacation, walk, or movie. The same goes for joy, kindness, fulfillment, or community. Because we are all unique, we experience these pleasures in differing ways.
Worship is like that too. It is one thing—the glorification of God—that takes countless forms. I love how God inspires His creation to exalt His name!
Worship can come from the strings of a guitar or the threads of a sewing machine. It can bubble on the stovetop, pour cement at a construction site, or teach a lesson in a classroom. God’s name can be magnified through food drives, concerts, mission trips, carpools, and cookouts. His honor and dominion have no boundary!
Worship can come from anywhere because it comes from within. Praise originates in the heart, flows through the hands, departs from the lips. Adoration and confession are outward expressions of inward convictions. Worship is an innate compulsion of humanity because God fashioned us for fellowship with Him.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God put eternity into man’s heart. We are made to know Him. He fabricates every fiber of our being to discover, follow, and revere Him.
Psalm 150 paints the picture.
“Praise the Lord!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty heavens!
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with lute and harp!
Praise Him with tambourine and dance;
Praise Him with strings and pipe!
Praise Him with sounding cymbals;
Praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!”
This posture of praise and proclamation infuses Scripture.
Nehemiah 9 professes, “Blessed be your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you” (5-6).
God’s Provision: “Come and see what God has done,” Psalm 66 invites. “He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man … Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what He has done for my soul” (5, 16). Indeed, “all the earth worships [Him] and sings praises to [Him]; they sing praises to [His] name” (4)!
Jesus Himself said if His people silenced their praise, “the very stones would cry out” (Luke 19:40)!
Worship seeps from the cracks and crevices of our lives. Worship can arise whenever, wherever, in whatever circumstance, and however the Spirit leads. God is eternal, omnipresent, and sovereign, drawing His praise from all His hands have made.
Word of the Week: Guileless. Jesus described Nathaniel this way, reminding me how true worshippers “worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him” (John 4:23).
Abby
Dear Younger Me,
Find joy in your responsibilities. It’s easy to put off those tasks you don’t want to do, but when you really buckle down and do them, you get to appreciate the joy of the job well done. Sitting in that zone of dreading the task doesn’t lead to any good, so remember the feelings of finishing and let that motivate you. But I hope the greater motivation will be realizing that the tasks you are doing are a gift. Whether the task is a part of serving your family or a part of your work, it is a blessing. Your motivation then is to do the job well for the ones you serve and also as service to God. Truly, joy can be found in the mundane things because of the gift it is to be able to do them!
Love,
Megan
When the kids are bickering, you can’t seem to get along with your spouse, or you’re going head-to-head with your boss, fighting never seems good. In fact, more often than not, it generates bad—tension, division, agitation, or worse. Fractured relationships and complete breakups are usually marked by ongoing disagreements, serious quarrels, even irreparable rifts.
Strangely enough, faith is described as “the good fight.” How can that be? A “good fight” does not appear to have its place in our societal, familial, and professional circles.
Nonetheless, 1 Timothy 6:12 contains a clear directive.
Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
Paul says in a second letter to young Timothy, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (4:7).
I have always interpreted this to mean we must be properly trained, continually fit, and ceaselessly engaged in the spiritual combat of life. Furthermore, I realize God endows us with adequate armor for the conflict. Ephesians 6 expounds the array of protective pieces:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints
Ultimately, “The weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).
God’s Provision: The good fight is hard, but our own fortitude and faculty is unnecessary, for the battle is not ours but the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). He goes before, with, within, beside, and behind us.
Word of the Week: Uphill. The way is arduous, adversarial, and adventurous, at times more demanding and difficult than others, but always an effort. Every day is another struggle …
… and another opportunity for good. What a gift to live in God’s grace, walk in His Spirit, and conquer in Christ!
Abby
Dear Younger Me,
No amount of regret can change the past. It doesn’t help you to sit in the “should haves” and “would haves.” You know a God who makes beauty from ashes, and that includes your wrong choices and your messy ways of handling problems in your life. Ask Him to hold all your regret and rewrite it, rejoicing in His goodness that He can right wrongs and also help you to see the good where your mind might see everything wrong. And He’s big enough to handle that. Your enemy would love for you to sit in the places where you wish you would have made different choices, instead of reveling in God who lavishes grace and mercy and turning your eyes to Him. Choose joy and rest in His forgiveness, and choose instead walking with Him by quiet waters instead of staring at a sea of regret.
Love,
Megan
When somebody you trust promises you something, you have reason to believe them. You might file their words into your memory, hold them to their commitment, or remind them of your expectation. Whether it’s a coffee date or a work-related request, we expect others to follow through on their word.
Whether or not they do is another story, right? But there’s that innate hope and persistent reminder that compels us onward in anticipation. Will they come through? If so, when?
Someone who earns our trust is applaudable indeed. Praise the Lord, we possess a precious collection of His promises, every one of which He has completed or soon will.
Among the countless are a few that speak to me in this season of my life. Maybe you also have clung to one or another at some point in your journey.
For example, I know God is always with me. He strengthens and upholds me, guides and molds me. His love for me is more permanent than the mountains, more firm than the hills. Through Christ, He forgives my every sin and sanctifies me through His Holy Spirit.
God’s promises stand like buttresses in the shifting sands and swirling waters of life. Right now, I am especially comforted by the promise of perfection.
Sin corrupted man’s flawless condition in the Garden. Righteousness fulfilled God’s requirement at Calvary. Not only does God intend for us to be restored, He makes the way for that redemption.
“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” – 2 Corinthians 5:21
“For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” – Hebrews 10:14
Day after day, from the latest news feed to the inner thoughts of our minds, we are reminded of the brokenness of this world. While we lack perfection in its fullest, we are already declared holy and continually made more so through Jesus Christ.
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” – Romans 5:1
“And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” – Ephesians 4:11-13
God’s Provision: We can be sure of this, “that He who began a good work in [us] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
Word of the Week: Peace. While the refining process can be strenuous, God encompasses us with His comforting presence. “May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
Abby
Dear Younger Me,
May you find the joy of talking about Jesus. What a gift when you find friends who will talk about Jesus with you and point you to Him, and to whom you can share Jesus’ words in return. And, when you realize how much Jesus has done for you in your life and how good He is and are in awe of who He is, I hope you’ll then be moved to tell others of who He is. So many times in the Psalms are phrases that describe proclaiming God’s name and works to others, like in Psalm 71, “My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge. With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.” What a privilege it is to get to be a vessel to tell others of the Savior. There is joy in knowing Him, in learning more of Him, and proclaiming Him to the people around you, and I hope you discover that. What purpose is more important than talking about Jesus? Whatever platform you have, whatever your role may be, talk about Him.
Love,
Megan
