Ramblings of an almost 30 year old

I sat here for a good long while thinking about what I could write…I asked God and I thought some more and I procrastinated…after all I had the last six months to think about it. Now it’s 12 hours before this little piece of inspiration is due and I’m just beginning to write. I could sit here and make a hundred excuses…I could use busyness, buying a house, moving across town, summer activities, gardening, outside work, working three jobs…I’m gonna stop because by now you get the point. All that still hasn’t brought any words to my empty paper or formed a short inspiration…so here goes and I’m excited to have you on this journey with me.

I’m here today to tell you that you have a story that’s worth listening to, a dream that’s worth pursuing…had I given into every excuse and listened to the part of me that says, “You can’t- nobody will want to read this” I would have missed a little short section of my story that God wanted to use to impact the world or maybe even one soul with.

We’ve all been created for such a time as this…and so here’s a little truth bomb…you were created to do the little mundane things that make up the big things in the end…it’s not being applauded for the big things that will change your life.

For you it might be praying for that sad girl you saw in town, it might just be getting out of bed today, and if you’re feeling depressed I’m here to tell you there’s hope. I serve the One who brought hope to a desperate dying world…a world full of self focused, self absorbed people who aren’t willing to look past themselves and serve others…why you ask…because humanity has hurt them…the pain is so great and so deep that they can’t look past themselves…they’ve been put into a room full of expectations, uncertainty, and masked souls who aren’t allowing anyone to talk about who they really are and how they really feel and to show up as they really are.

Change in the world begins with healing and forgiving and letting go of the past that wants to hold us back and define us. It’s inevitable that the past has molded us and for that I’m so grateful. Our past was intended to make us stronger and more compassionate than we would have been without those deep dark valleys.

I love the purpose, passion, and worship that John talks about in Revelations 4:11 where he says: “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (ESV) I love the NLT version even more because in the last part it says: “for you created all things and they exist because you created what you pleased.”

We are existing because God placed us here. We were created to bring Him glory and praise, and because He created us He knows what He created us for and who He wants us to inspire and who He wants the light that He placed inside of you to touch. Dearest friends let the past go and embrace the strength that you’ve gained through those dark valleys and go touch one more soul with a kind word, a smile, and maybe even a tear. That’s rare today because we live in a culture that questions everything including their gender, the authority in their lives, God, marriages, relationships, and just life. We have an opportunity like never before and it’s time to pick up those broken relationships and listen intently and care about the hard things that the soul in front of you has experienced. We are called to be ambassadors and claim the victory in Jesus and push back darkness. God is the victor and today I’m here to invite you to join so many others who are going to the trenches and caring for and loving souls and showing them Jesus! So Fight on, Fighter!! Life is worth living and when you’ve been through the fire even just in your mind you will be victorious and you will be stronger because God is on your side and in Him you have all you need.

This year has brought some of the biggest changes in my life and I’ve had to fight through some dark hard valleys. I would not exchange them for anything…sometimes we need someone to just remind us that we are living our best lives and that’s what my friend did. I began to see the life that I get to live and had been taking for granted. I paused and remembered and then I knew that I needed to step back and look at the big picture and see that all the little moments were creating a beautiful picture…a tapestry as some people call it. The only way I get to live in the house that I do now is because God gifted it to me and my sisters… and so here’s to embracing the little moments and remembering that the Lord is worthy and we have been created for such a time as this! Come join me in being a light in the everyday mundane spaces of life!

You’ve got it & I’m cheering you on,

Joanna Schlabach