writing: my journey so far

The end of my two month experiment with a different way of posting on my blog has come. It's been an interesting experience for me. I haven't had deadlines to write things by since I finished college, but this has been a bit of that (except the deadlines are more flexible than a paper due date).

To be honest, it's been a challenge at times to write these. But, it's also been a good time for me. I love to write, so I've enjoyed setting aside regular time to do so. As someone who disliked writing assignments in high school, I never thought I would write anything for fun.

There was a point in my life where I wondered how people could love writing. I definitely enjoy reading, so I was glad people wrote things, but I didn't really understand how they could enjoy it. Then in my third year of college I discovered that when it was about things I actually cared about, writing was something I liked to do.

I didn't really ever think it would go beyond those college assignments. But after I made a few comments on some blog posts on the blog for the young adults group at my church, I was thinking about that differently. The young adults pastor at my church asked if I would be willing to post on a regular basis on the website. My first thought when he asked was, "Not a chance!" Thankfully, that's not what came out of my mouth. I said I would think about it instead.

I did say yes to doing that and in the process my love for writing grew. I quickly realized it helped me to make sense of the various things I was thinking about, if I worked to put them together in a way that made sense to another person.

That is ultimately what lead to this blog and the things I write on it. I've gone through seasons with my writing here. But it's never been something I was able to quit doing because I enjoy the challenge of it. These last two months have provided a bit more of a challenge with the regular schedule, but it has served to increase my love for writing.

For now, I will continue with a similar schedule to the one I've had for the last couple of months.

never alone

Last weekend I ended up with a couple of lines from a song we sang at Women of Faith stuck in my head. They have stayed in my head since then. I don't know the name of the song they are from. But I have heard the song before.

Never once did we ever walk alone. Never once did He leave us on our own.

There's a great truth about God contained in those words. God never leaves us alone no matter what we're walking through. He is there with us when we don't know He is. God doesn't leave us to figure it out on our own.

That doesn't mean God won't allow us to try it on our own if we insist. He won't force His way on us. But, He will be there waiting for when we choose to allow Him to guide us.

I don't know about you, but I need this reminder that God doesn't leave me to walk on my own obviously in the bad times, but I need it in the good times too. When life seems to be going wrong and things are hard, this is a truth I can cling to. But when life is good, I can start feeling like it's all me that is making that happen, but then I am reminded that I don't walk in those times either. I'm reminded to praise God for His goodness to me.

I've realized this in the last couple of years as I've stepped out into doing things God has asked me to do. It's been a good time in my life, but as I stepped out I needed the reminder of the truth that God walks with me in that too.

So, what about you? What do these words mean to you today in the midst of your good time or your bad time?

Never once did we ever walk alone. Never once did He leave us on our own.

Galatians 1:10

A couple of days ago I started reading in the book of Galatians. I wasn't really starting reading with any thoughts that God had something to say to me in it. But God often has other ideas when we dig into His Word.

It's something I'm learning to appreciate about God and about studying His Word. No matter how well we think we know it, God still teaches us more and speaks to us in different ways through His Word. The more time I spend in His Word, the more I see and hear. It really is something that keeps me coming back.

Anyways, back to Paul's letter to the church at Galatia. Paul jumps right into His reason for writing this letter - reminding the Galatian Christians of the gospel and calling them back to it. At the end of this comes a verse that jumped off the page at me. Galatians 1:10 says: "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ."

I tend to be a people pleaser - if there's something I can do that will make or keep another person happy or gain their approval, I'll do it more often than not. So when this verse jumped off the page at me, I knew I needed to listen to what God was saying to me through it.

Paul is reminding his readers that following God doesn't mean we will always be approved of by others. The gospel message and the sacrifice it requires won't necessarily make that possible. We can't be trying to win the approval of others as followers of Christ.

God's approval is the approval we should be seeking in our lives. His approval should be our goal. God's approval is what matters. This is what Paul is saying in this verse - that He is seeking God's approval above that of any men.

What about you?
Whose approval are you seeking?
Do you need to make changes in whose approval you are seeking?