You Are Not Forgotten

I have put off writing about this. I feel like this was a very clear message from God when I needed it the most, and it spoke to me immediately and deeply. So deeply in fact that I almost kept this promise to myself, but then I decided that maybe someone else needed to hear this as well. I am going to share the message but if you don’t mind, I am going to keep the details that made it so personally moving to myself. Sorry.

Wednesday I was reading Girl Talk with God (read my review of Girl Talk with God) and one of the “talks” included the passage Habakkuk 2:3. I read the words without much emotion and kind of brushed them off. I didn’t want to read too much into them since I randomly read them in this book although I did remark that it was an obscure verse. I mean who reads from Habakkuk? Who puts it in their book? Evidently Susie Shellenberger does. Anyway…

Thursday morning, I opened my copy of Voices of the Faithful: Book 2 (Read my review of Voices of the Faithful: Book 2) and turned to January 27th… *Pause* If you don’t know the format of the book let me give you the low down. Each page has a scripture passage at the top, then a story or devotional by an IMB missionary, and it closes with a prayer which is relevant to the topic. *Play* Guess what! My eyes immediately filled with tears when I saw the verse was Habakkuk 2:3. This was no coincidence. These words were for me. God knew I was going to read the passage the night before and brush it off so He put it in my path first thing the next morning! I mean what are the odds?! The same obscure scripture in two totally different books that I have been reading for days and I read the verse twice within 10 hours of each other. No way! This was definitely God.

I want to share Habakkuk 2:3 with you because maybe you need to hear it today. God has a promise and a plan for you. Don’t give up hope.

“The message I give you
waits for the time I have appointed.
It speaks about what is going to happen.
And all of it will come true.
It might take a while.
But wait for it.
You can be sure it will come.
It will happen when I want it to.” Habakkuk 2:3 NIrV

God, please use this verse to speak to someone else today. I know there are others out there who have almost given up on their dreams or the things they felt you had promised them because they have been a long time coming. Use your Word to refresh them and to renew their hope. Remind them that they are not forgotten. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

More Resources

Who Am I?

In the hectic moments of life when you have run from one activity to another and from one responsibility to the next, do you ever find yourself asking “Who am I?” It is easy to confuse our role with who we really are. Am I a mom? A youth minister? A wife? A coach? A teacher? Not only do we get confused about who we are, we also get confused in our purpose and self-worth.

I was recently talking to my aunt about a project we are working on together. She is writing a children’s book and I am supposed to be illustrating it. I have been having trouble getting the illustrations right because of some self-doubt issues that I deal with on a daily basis. When I expressed these feelings to her, this is what she wrote back to me:

“My precious favorite second niece,

I am not sure why you are not confident, but let me reassure you of things you may have forgotten.  Within you, there is a magnificent ability!!  Not only are you artistic, extremely intelligent, and hard working, but you are a beautiful daughter of the King.  Do not doubt for a minute that He is beside you, holding you close to him and will give you insight and wisdom beyond measure if you ask him.  The beauty that you carry is far above rubies, do not dismiss what I am saying. Sometimes we look at ourselves and for some reason, we beat ourselves up for not being a size 2 or not being perfect in some respect.  You count all of the qualities that you possess!!!  You are loving, compassionate, encouraging, supportive, and I think right now you are also overwhelmed with the everyday stressors of life.  You are carrying a great deal of responsibility for your job and your home life.  Look to our God and ask for peace during this time.  Remember the Holy Spirit is the comforter.  Also remember that those of us who love you are here for you.  The phone is by my bed, please call anytime----If you need to talk, I am here for you always.

Don't forget who loves you.”

With that encouragement under my belt, I was able to stop and ask myself “Who does God say I am?” If you stop about think about it, God pictures us all the same. One of us is not better than the other. He created us just the way He wanted us to be. Do we mess up? Yes. Do we go outside of God’s will? Yes. Does God’s perspective or opinion of us ever change? NO! Absolutely NOT!

Who Does God Say I Am?
I AM…
His Cherished One
Created with a Purpose
His Beloved
Not Forgotten!
Precious to Him (Isaiah 43:4)
Bought with a Price (1 Corinthians 6:20)
The Bride of Christ
Redeemed (Exodus 15:13)
Worthy (2 Thessalonians 1:5)
Beautiful (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

I could go on and on. Spend time today seeking out who God says you are. You can do it! It’s amazing what you’ll find! Also, I didn't have time to find the references for the other characteristics, but if you know what they are--feel free to post them in the comments section! Thanks so much!

Mentioning Mentoring

A few days ago, I was working in our home office when I heard my husband talking on the phone. It turns out that Jimmy was talking to one of “his boys”, the term he uses to affectionately refer to the group of young men he has invested the most in over the years. These are the students who have benefited most from the type of mentoring we discussed in “TIME and LOVE the Languages of Discipleship”. They spent well over an hour on the phone talking about life, what God is doing in their lives, the struggles he was having, and other things. I frequently hear these kinds of conversations in our home and I did not pay too much attention to what was being said, but my ears did perk up at one key statement that made me stop and think…

“I’m 34 years old and have been in the ministry for more than 10 years, but I still have older men in my life who mentor me and aren’t afraid to tell me if I am making wrong decisions in life or in ministry…” Jimmy openly shared.

The Apostle Paul on Mentoring
This simple statement made me take pause. It also brought to mind something the apostle Paul once said, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 3:12-14). Even Paul, who did SO many great things for Christ, did not consider himself to be perfect. He had men in his life that taught him what it meant to be a Christian and to serve Christ. Why do you think he partnered with Barnabas on his first two mission trips? He needed someone to work with him who had been a Christian for a while and “knew the ropes” so to speak. Paul also goes on to encourage the believers to “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you.” (Phil. 3:17).

Thoughts to Ponder
* Do you have someone in your life that is mentoring you?
* Do you consider yourself to be at a point that you no longer need someone to “tell you how to do things” and don’t feel you need a mentor?
* What does your attitude toward mentoring say about you and your ministry?
* How does your attitude toward being mentored affect how you mentor others?

Closing Remarks
Mentors may come and go in your life, but I personally believe you always need to have people in your life who are older, wiser, more experienced, and who aren’t afraid to get in your face about the important issues (if needed). The best mentoring relationships often grow naturally. Instead of spending all of your time seeking out the perfect mentor, spend time in prayer asking God to send this person into your life, develop relationships with people who are mentor material, and be willing to accept the leadership and challenges they will bring when your mentor comes on the scene. They may have been there all along and you just didn’t know it or just didn’t care.