by Him, for Him.

​

Monday is here, folks. 

Either you're super excited for a fresh start doing what you love, or you're dreading it because you're not so crazy about where you're at. There might be an in-between.. you don't love it, but you don't hate it, not really any complaints. There's plenty of levels of adoration you could be feeling about the upcoming week. 

Some of us might dive head-first back into the craziness that the work week brings us. Some of us might not have stopped working over the "weekend" even, or some of us will ease back into it. Sorting through emails, prioritizing the tasks for the week, so on and so forth.

Whatever your level of stress, anxiety, joy, or excitement that thoughts of this week bring you.. remember this. 

"All things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together." 

Last week, I came home from work and it was a beautiful evening, still sunny and warm, so I decided I was going to sit on the deck for awhile. If you know me, you know I'll typically get home and just get right back on my computer for a few hours. Well, it'd been about 2 weeks of go, go, go and the introverted side of me knew I needed a break. I knew what I needed, and that was time to just sit and read and not look at any screens for awhile. I opened up my Bible and it happened to be to the verse above in the book of Colossians 1. 

We were created through Him and for Him. 

We weren't created for other people, to fulfill the needs of every human being around us. We weren't created to wear ourselves thin, to get so stressed that we snap at others when they disrupt our plans by just five minutes. No, He created us to bring His kingdom glory, to fill us with his wisdom and knowledge, to rescue us from the darkness and fill us with His light, so that we too, could be a light in the darkness to those around us.

Wowzers. 

Each of us was uniquely created with special gifts and talents- talents that only you possess. Things that only you can do. Do you know what your special qualities are? Are you using those on a daily, weekly, monthly basis or are you brushing them off to the side because you can't possibly make a living doing what you know you were created to do? 

Have you ever thought that your life isn't just for you? That by doing what you were created to do, you're impacting the lives of those around you and it might just be you living your life that completely changes another's life because of the impact you had? 

When we stop being so concerned with being labeled "successful" by other people and truly pursue and work on those things we're gifted for, something starts to happen. We find freedom, we find peace, we find blessings upon blessings. Sure, you might have to balance a full-time job and those passions on the side at first, or for quite a while, but will you trust the Lord to provide for you, even if it doesn't seem possible? 

We weren't created for other humans. To check off item after item on our to-do lists. To get little sleep because we're beyond stressed. To be super high strung every minute of the day. That's not how He wants us to live.

​We were created for the Lord. When we allow Him to use our lives in the ways He created us for, you never know what could happen. All I know is that He has far greater plans than anything we can imagine, and that reminder was something I needed. When my priorities get clustered and I start to make excuses for why I'm not doing this or that, when I start to say yes to things I know deep down I should have passed on, I start to feel it. I'm busying myself with things that yes, might bring in some extra money, but that will take up the time I could be doing the things that I know in my heart the Lord wants and needs me to do.

What will you busy yourself with this week? Outside of work, will you take the time and use it to shine brighter to those around you, or will you use it to mindlessly pass the time watching TV, playing video games, or things you know you could spend less time doing?

The choice is ours to make! Let's make this world bright. Let Him use us in ways that only He can.