Transitions

     Well, it's official. I am no longer a teenager. This is the first birthday that I actually felt older as soon as the clock struck 12:00. I can't say that it is a happy birthday though, for many reasons. One of the most prominent being that my friend Trey Lida would have been 23 years old today, and instead of celebrating with him, I am turning the age that he was when God called him home. That has been a hard concept to deal with. It really makes me wonder, what am I doing with my life?? Do I have dreams of what I want to do, and visions of what I want my life to look like? Sure. Do I think God has a plan for my life? Of course! But what am I doing TODAY to better the kingdom of God? What am I doing TODAY to make a difference in the life of someone else tomorrow? If God called me home a little over 4 months from now like he did with Trey, would I be ready? If he called me home a year from now like he did with Ariane Patterson, would I be pleased with the life I had lived? Because right now, I honestly feel like I'm just wasting the time that God has so graciously given to me.

     One thing that has been on my mind a lot these last few weeks has been the idea of transitions. Last year at the Verge we did a series on Transitions. When I looked up my notes from the series in my journal, these are some of the scribbling's I found... 

"We are always in transition, always in the middle, always in between two things"

"Who we used to be, who we are now, who we want to be"

"Physical birth, spiritual birth, physical death, eternal life"

"You must die so Christ can live, and you must live so Christ can be made known"

"Transitioning your view of God from who you want Him to be, to who He really is"

"We don't go through transitions to come out the same, God doesn't have you here so you can leave the exact same as you were when you came in"

     Talk about a God moment! Reading those notes from over 4 months ago, God began to speak to me all over again. We go through little transitions all the time in our daily life. But today is a big transition for me. I am no longer a teenager. I can't blend in with the crowd anymore. I can't follow along blindly anymore. I've been hiding from a calling. For years, God has been calling me to LEAD. He's been preparing me for it, but I keep hiding behind the leadership skills of others. When God called Trey home, I felt the calling stronger than ever. But when some of the other leaders grew up and moved on with their lives, I could no longer hide behind them. So I just hid, all alone. Now there is no one to hide behind, and I'm reminded of Adam & Eve, hiding from the presence of the Lord. Nothing is impossible WITH God, but hiding FROM God... now that's impossible! His Holy Spirit dwells WITHIN us. No matter where we run, He's still there. His presence never leaves. The sound of our own voice can't drown out the still small voice of the Holy Spirit, nor can the sounds of the enemy. I can make a choice to turn the other way, and I can blend in with another crowd. But in God's eyes, I would stick out like a sore thumb. His calling would not change. His voice would not change. His presence would not leave. I refuse to go through this period of transition unchanged. I refuse to live a life without purpose. I refuse to live a life unfulfilled. So I'm coming out of hiding. 

This is the vision God has given to me, four clear & distinct purposes...

1) Start a youth worship service

2) Start a young leaders bible study

3) Be a mentor & counselor

4) Write 

There it is. Written out, plain as day. I can't deny it anymore. So I ask that you please hold me accountable. Don't let me lose sight of this vision. As much as I dislike the thought, I am now an adult. There is no denying it. I can't keep planning for my life, and never living it. This is it. This is all I've got. I can't let it pass me by. I've got to make the most of the time God has given me. I pray that I can make the most of whatever time I have left. I pray that I can live a life that makes my Savior proud, and fulfill the plans He has for me.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

~ Matthew 6:33 ~

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

~ Jeremiah 29:11 ~

"Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

~ 1 Timothy 4:12 ~