“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

What Will I Become?

Walk His Way Revisited
First Posted in June, 2014

In junior high school, I wanted to do something, anything,better than other people, and I was just sure I never would. I would never be as talented or smart, and certainly not as attractive. I would never get recognition for anything. Would never be on top of the heap.

My best friend and I did everything together. In junior high, if you have just one good friend, you’ll make it. You’ll be OK. We were inseparable. We ate lunch together, talked to (and about) boys together, took the same classes. We’d sit on the bus together, walk partway home together, and call each other the minute we walked in our front doors (to my mother’s annoyance).

We tried out together for the drill team… she made it and I didn’t. We tried out together for a new band at our church … she made it and I didn’t. We put together a dance team with several friends to perform at a school talent show… and I tripped over my own feet, couldn’t remember the steps, and never quite felt comfortable with the whole dancing thing. I felt like the only person on earth that couldn’t do these things.

Looking back at it from the perspective of several decades, I can say with certainty that I wasn’t walking in my gifts. I hadn’t yet recognized nor developed the strengths the Lord was putting in me; I was trying to be what other people were. This is forgivable in junior high school; kids spend a lot of time trying on other hats, finding their place in the world.

For adults, if you still haven’t found what the Lord has put into you to serve Him with, it would be wise to spend time in prayer asking Him to make your gifts clear. Ask Him to give you opportunities to grow into the person He always meant for you to be. Pay attention to the ways He is moving in your life—this may be new opportunities that come along, or new people in your life who are moving in a direction you’ve never thought about, or a revival of interest in something you loved to do in the past.

God has His own ways of moving us into place for kingdom work. Sometimes it’s just a matter of paying attention to what He is doing in and around us, or a willingness to step beyond what we’ve always done or meet new people. But sometimes, we have our own plans, as I did in junior high, and they don’t match up to His at all. So be encouraged to talk to Him about this, and watch to see what He is doing.

Then… step out with His blessing, in His strength, with the guidance of His Spirit at work within you!

Lord, we need You to point us in right direction. We want to walk in the gifts You have worked into us so that You may get the glory for the way our lives are lived. Help us to trust You more. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.s