When my cousin first asked me to sing, to be honest, I felt hesitant.
Very hesitant.
I knew it would be tough to render a musical selection at my Uncle David's Homegoing Celebration, but saying no wasn't an option. So, I immediately agreed, despite feeling quite nervous about it.
Now, at the time of writing this blog post, I have not yet performed my musical duties at the service, but I am confident that God will help me get through it all just fine (Update: God showed up today and sung through me and we all were blessed!).
The other day, I was talking to one of my friends in the music industry. She is an amazingly talented vocalist who travels all over the world singing. I shared with her my misgivings about belting out a song during such a difficult and emotional time.
But something she said stuck out for me and really helped bring things into focus.
"I had to sing at my grandmother's funeral and that was not easy," she told me.
"So what helped you?" I asked.
"I thought about the people who were there who were not saved that needed to be ministered to," my singer friend explained. "I thought of it as a ministry moment and that helped me get through it."
Her wise response shifted my paradigm completely and caused me to consider something profound. God does not cease to use us for His glory just because we're going through challenging seasons of hurt, hardship, loss, and struggle. In fact, when we are yielded and submitted to His authority, the Lord turns our pain into purpose; our brokenness into a blessing; and our hurt into a source of healing for others.
But if we remain self-centered and focused only on the issues that concern us, we rob the world of the treasure inside of us that has power to set others free.
You, like me, may be dealing with something trying. But God doesn't want you to shut down and stop fulfilling the divine mandate on your life. Instead, keep moving forward in purpose for the glory of God and the benefit of the world.
God wants to use us all to carry out His perfect will even in imperfect circumstances. All the Lord needs is a yes.
So to remind you to yield to God's will, I'm stirring Isaiah 6:8 NIV into your cup of inspiration. It says, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"
When you drink down the contents of your cup today, you will feel emboldened, empowered, and encouraged to do the work of the Lord, no matter what circumstances look like. You'll take your eyes off of life's problems and focus on all the people for which God has designed you to be the solution.
Be strong and determined to live your life in compliance with the will of the Lord.
Tell Him, "Here am I, send me," and keep moving forward in purpose.
Now let's pray.
God, thank You for reminding me that if I stay wrapped up in my own problems, my impact upon the world will be small. Please help me remember, even in the hard times, that it's not about me, but it's about filling Your call on my life. Today, I commit myself to Your cause, Oh God, in good times and bad. Because Your will is what I want for my life. In Jesus' name, Amen.
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may today's cup of inspiration uplift, encourage, and empower you!
