set apart

i am sitting here at my dining room table as i just rushed out of bed to write this entry.  i feel so moved by the Spirit that i just had to sit here and write this, as i feel it is so important to share (even for those of you who have heard a similar message before, this bares repeating). 

"Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee;

and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I

ordained thee . . . "

Jeremiah 1: 4-5

If we approach each day knowing, as Jeremiah did, that God ordained us of a special purpose, then how much more would our lives be rich with meaning?  Certainly, each of us at times feels lost, or may wonder what it is that God would have us do in the life.  And, in those moments it is imperative that we look to our past, even so far as our childhood, to examine, as Max Lucado states, in Cure for the Common Life, "our sweet spot."  It is that particular thing/talent/gift, whatever you wish to call it, that God has blessed (or ordained) YOU with, that thing that comes to you with ease . . . THAT is what you are sent here to do.  No guessing, no self-doubting, you will KNOW what your gift is if you just sit for moments and look at your life in reverse . . . uncover the moments that made your heart sing, that filled your soul with oxygen and allowed you to feel so close to the Maker that you felt FILLED with HIS Spirit.  

It is so amazing to me to know that my Heavenly Father not only loved me so much, but also KNEW me so well that he touched me with a special gift, a special talent.  And, yes, though at times I wonder if life could possibly be THAT easy -- I mean, can't everyone do with ease the things that I do?  Is MY gift REALLY unique to me??  -- 

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

Philippians 2:13

CERTAINLY, Heavenly Father gives us certain unique gifts.  And, JUST AS CERTAINLY, He works within us to uncover those particular gifts and present us with opportunities to exercise those gifts.  

A few days ago, I realized my need to fast & pray, to uncover whatever it was that God wanted me to learn and share with others at this time.  I was going through some *stickiness* (as I call the rough patches of my life), so it became known to me that there was something I just wasn't "getting".  So, I fasted & prayed . . . and, by doing so, I realized that I needed to grow closer to Heavenly Father and pray to have the particular lesson that He is trying to teach me uncovered.  I can be such a sleuth sometimes, but so is not the case it seems when the messages are from the Lord!  

I feel so clessed and humbled at this moment to share with you that I truly believe that the Lord, through all life's recent *stickiness* is TRYING REALLY, REALLY HARD to show me that HE LOVES ME.  It has become my "beauty in this storm" to wake up this morning and realize that He gave ME special gifts, and though they may not be Earth-shattering to some, their are certain people on THIS EARTH that would NOT be the same if I didn't come into THEIR life bearing MY gift at a particular moment.  

So, I plead with you to sit back today, or whenever you have time & ponder your own UniQuEneSS, and RECOGNIZE the opportunities each day that Heavenly Father gives us to glorify HIM by expressing that gift to someone in need of it.  We are ALL connected, and though He has a plan for EACH of us, I TRULY believe that we are ALL a part of each other's plan.  Don't be the missing piece in so many puzzles.  Realize your talents, your unique God-given gift(s), and be FEARLESS to share them with the rest of us.  

Remember, YOU were set apart to do just THAT.