Lets Change the World

Most, if not all of us want to change the world. We want to make a difference, do something worthwhile with our lives, ‘Go big or go home’, but how are we acting on that dream? Are we waiting for our ‘Big Break’ where we will suddenly be at the right place at the right time and have all the right words and become famous overnight and the best speaker in the world and lead thousands of people to Christ? Recently God gave me a little reality check, I’ve always been one of the ones who wanted to change the world and just sat around waiting for God to call me to be a missionary or start an orphanage or something really awesome like that. Then one day I was sitting at church one Sunday morning listening to our pastor preach and I started thinking about how God has given me a passion for middle school and high school girls. Then I got this brilliant idea that I should start some sort of bible study for them but just as soon as God put that idea into my head I started coming up with excuses as to why I shouldn’t do that like, God I don’t know anyone that age, God how am I supposed to help someone else get through life when I’m barley staying on my feet, God I wanted to change the world… and that’s when God just sat back and smiled because right in that moment I realized something very important. You can’t change the world if you aren’t willing to start small with the people who need you the most. God put people all around you for you to love on and serve and if we aren’t willing to start with those very important people why should we be allowed to be given the responsibility of the world?

We can change the world one person at a time. We start with our neighbors or best friends and we love on everybody. We love the person who just cut us off, or the cashier at Target, or that one person who always asks us for favors and never repays, or the person who broke your heart, or your best friend who left you to be best friends with the “cool crowd”. God tells us in Mark 12:30-31 ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this Love your neighbor as yourself there is no commandment greater than these.’ Jesus said this when he was asked what the greatest of all the commandments (laws) was so obviously it’s kind of a big deal to God that we love people, right?

We've all seen the ripples on the water when we drop something into it, they start small and get bigger. You could touch one person's life and they could touch one person's life or maybe they are going to be the one that God uses to reach thousands. You just never know God's plan. You changing one life could end up changing so many more that you may never even know about until you get to heaven. Just keep that in mind.

We may never be a famous speaker who leads thousands to Christ or a missionary to Africa but that’s not what God asks all of us to do. Sometimes he asks us to start small, and the reward for that in Heaven is just as great as it would be if you shared the gospel with the world. God has a specific and wonderful plan for each of us in the areas where we are passionate and skilled. So keep your eyes and heart open and just take what God gives you for now, who knows what it will lead to in the future. Let God work out all the details and you go along for the ride. Trust me, God has great things in store for you!

I hope y’all have an amazing day and keep your head up and smile on! You are loved and cherished by our amazing God! Thank you so much for joining me today! God bless!

Katelyn

You will never walk alone

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed a dream.

As I was walking along the beach with my Lord.

Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,

One belonging to me and one to my Lord.

After the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that at many times along the path of my life,

especially at the very lowest and saddest times,

there was only one set of footprints.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it. 

"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,

You'd walk with me all the way.

But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,

there was only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you

Never, ever, during your trials and testings.

When you saw only one set of footprints,

It was then that I carried you."

- by Mary Stevenson

That poem is one of my absolute favorite poems and it has been my comfort through a lot of hard times. We all have those days, weeks, and/or months where we feel like we are completely alone and in my mind that is one of the darkest and worst feelings we could ever have. Here's the hard truth; People are going to fail us at some point and it's not a matter of IF but WHEN and the other hard truth, we're going to fail others around us at some point too. We live in a world full of imperfect humans who make mistakes and to expect perfection from ourselves and others is only setting ourselves up for failure. Here's the good news; God will NEVER fail us, He will never let us down, He will never stop loving you, and He will never leave your side, especially in those dark days.

I've had days where I felt utterly and completely helpless. I thought the World was against me and if I were to disappear no one would even care. Now obviously that wasn't true, I have amazing friends and family that stand with me but in the moment I was believing Satan's lies and he was loving that. He didn't win though because there was one small thing he forgot. In my darkest loneliest time, God was still there and I finally did what I should have done a very long time ago. I fell to my knees and begged him to come, begged him to hold me and not let me go, and the amazing thing is... He did. God was there just like he always is and He held me. He let me cry and he cried with me. He showed me his love and his promises when I finally opened my bible and He reminded me that He alone was in control and He had a perfect plan. He carried me since I was too exhausted to walk.

God isn't ever going anywhere, He's always right by your side even on those dark nights when you can barely see him. Even when you try to push him away He's still right there waiting for you to realize how much you need him again. You are loved, and cherished, and valued and on those days that you forget that open your Bible and let God show you all over again.

Thank you so much for reading this and all of the encouragement y'all give me!! I hope you have a blessed day!!

Katelyn