Ephesians 4:1

“Therefore I, a prisoner of serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.”

As I begin this blog, after 4 years of struggling to launch it, I have been empowered by this verse in Ephesians. This is one of my favorite books in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul gives us so much practical advice and empowerment in this book…prayers for spiritual growth & wisdom, how to have peace in Christ, living as God’s children and in His light, how to have relationships guided by the Holy Spirit, and how to fight spiritual warfare.

In my personal life I have experienced many setbacks. Periods of doubt, loneliness, struggle, depression and anxiety, confusion, negativity, and fear. Some of these feelings I have brought on myself, but some of them have been inflicted upon me by other people. My childhood was riddled with these emotions…I was never allowed to think for myself, and when I did, my thoughts were shot down as fast as Robin Hood’s arrow could fly. These experiences carried over into my adulthood because as a child I was never allowed to find my own way, and it made finding my way through adulthood that much harder. I thank God every day for how far He has brought me in my life…out of the darkness and into His wonderful light! I am grateful to all the people throughout my life who have shown me that light… with their positivity, their grace, their perseverance, their strength, their faithfulness in God, and their faith in me…even when I didn’t understand or see it in myself.

Not everyone is going to understand you. Not everyone is going to get your personality. Not everyone is going to understand the calling God has placed on your heart. God knows I have experienced this. But at some point, we all have to stop listening to what the world says about us and focus only on what God is saying. That is the place where I am. God has given me a vision, a calling, and as long I focus on Him and His Word, continuing to drown out the naysayers and their negativity, I will become who He says I am. One step at a time, by His faith and grace in me.

God loves you and so do I,

Leslie