Stepping Up
Well, today’s Valentine’s Day,
everyone! So a very Happy Valentine’s
Day to you all and take the time today to show those special people in your
life just how much they mean to you.
It’s true, this post should probably be about love, but unfortunately,
that isn’t the lesson I was given to share, so this post will just have to not
pertain to the occasion.
I had my riding lesson yesterday, and this was
my second time working with my new project horse. Her name’s Cheyenne, and Cheyenne is an
incredibly intelligent horse. I mean,
really really smart. My riding
instructor has assigned her to me as my new project because she says that
Cheyenne will take me to the next level in my riding and training
abilities. Working with her will help me
take the next step up.
The Lord uses people as instruments
in our lives sometimes, and the person He uses most in my life is my
mom. My mom is His chief instrument for
confirmation in my life. Here’s how the
process normally goes: God begins speaking to me about something, I keep it to
myself and never tell anyone what He’s doing in my heart, and then one day, my
mom will say something in a casual everyday conversation that hits straight-on
to what the Lord had been speaking to me about.
And the incredible thing is, because I never tell anyone what the Lord’s
changing, shaping, and molding in me, my mom doesn’t even know the
apt-timing of her words! It seems like a
coincidence, but I know it isn’t. It’s
God. And it’s one of those “Whoa, what
made you say that?” moments.
Needless to say, one of those
moments landed in a conversation a few days ago. For a very long while, the Lord had been
laying on my heart a burden for something and a desire to do something about it
someday. I dreamed about having an
outlet for that passion He had placed in me, but I never once realized that
maybe He had already placed an opportunity for that outlet in my path not someday,
but right now. A light-hearted
conversation with my mom left the realization of it settling deep into my heart,
and it kept me awake into the late hours of that night as I laid in bed
allowing the Lord to speak to me.
Cheyenne, my new project, is an
extremely intelligent horse, as I said, but because she’s so smart, she puts my
confidence to a test. She intimidates me
a little and makes me question my training knowledge and abilities sometimes. So why do I continue training her? Because I know the experience will make me a
better rider and a better trainer. I
know it’s for my good. It isn’t
necessarily easy, but I know it’s a step I have to take in order to go up to
the next level.
I had my conversation with my mom on
my mind for most the day, and after my riding lesson, the Lord used my
experience riding that morning to speak to me about our conversation. He used my lesson on Cheyenne to illustrate
to me a truth about my situation. Just
as my riding instructor has assigned Cheyenne to me to take me to the next
level, so the Lord calls us to fulfill tasks to take us to the next
level in our spiritual walk with Him.
He calls us to do things that aren’t
always easy, and unless we’re willing to endure the difficulties, we won’t want
to do them. Sometimes, He asks us to
step out of our comfort zone and do something we might be intimidated or
fearful to do. But it’s for our good and
it’s for our benefit and it’s the only way we’ll ever step up to the next level
He wants to bring us to. Unless we’re
willing to follow His calling wherever it takes us and whatever He calls us to
do, we’re never going to grow spiritually.
If we’re too fearful to take the next step, we’re never going to get any
farther on our journey with Him. You
cannot travel down a road unless you take the first step. And sometimes, you won’t see the end of the
road. Sometimes you’ll simply have to trust
and take a step of faith. (See the post Faith
and Fingerpicking for more on the topic.)
For “we live by faith, not by sight.” (2Co 5:7)
When I ride, I usually come home
with bruises on my legs, particularly on the inner side of my knees. After riding Cheyenne, I again had
bruises. Following the Lord’s call is
not always pain-free. He doesn’t promise
that it’ll always be easy, but He does promise that He’ll always be with
us every step of the way. “As I was with
Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Jos
1:5) “God is our refuge and strength, an
ever-present help in trouble. Therefore
we will not fear…” (Ps 46:1&2) We
might get some bruises in the process, but knowing that we’re walking in His
will for us is far worth the sacrifice, I promise, and He will equip us with
the strength to see the task through. “I
can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Php 4:13)
Training Cheyenne not only benefits me
by fashioning me into a better rider and trainer, but it also benefits Cheyenne
by making her into a better trained horse.
The Lord also revealed to me that the plans He has for me are not only
for my personal benefit but for others’ benefits as well. What the Lord calls us to do, He will also
use to minister to others’ lives if we’re only willing and obedient to follow
His guidance.
So I ask you… What is God calling
you to do that you’re reluctant to? And
why are you reluctant? Because of fears,
intimidation, and the inconvenience of it maybe? As my favorite country singer Keith Urban
admitted once “…my instincts
have always been to run from things that are good for me...” Don’t we all?
Or as my favorite Christian music artist Jonny Diaz sings in his song Irony, “I always liked the grass to be green, but
I just can’t take the rain it seems sometimes.
And that’s how it is with You and me.
I hate the very things I need sometimes.” It’s time we stop running though from what
the Lord is calling us to do. It’s time
we prayerfully follow wherever He leads us and allow Him to take us to the next
level in our relationship with Him. “Teach
me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path…” (Ps 27:11) “Teach me to do your will; for you are my
God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” (Ps 143:10) It’s time to step out of our comfort zones and leave
behind the fears and intimidations, friends.
It’s time to take the step up.
“Therefore
let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity…”
Hebrews
6:1
*Although this
post doesn’t coincide with Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d share with you all a
list of my favorite love songs, a mix of Christian, country, and pop. Those marked with an asterisk are my top favorites.
*First
Dance by Amanda Falk
*London
by Brandon Heath
Love
Will Be Enough For Us by Brandon Heath
But
for the Grace of God by Keith Urban
I
Could Fly by Keith Urban
*Without
You by Keith Urban
Won’t
Let You Down by Keith Urban
I’m
Already There by Lonestar
When
We’re Together by Mark Harris
*Bless
the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts
I
Won’t Let Go by Rascal Flatts
*Begin
Again by Taylor Swift
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is
not proud. It is not rude, it is not
self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices
with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.”
1Corinthians 13:4-8
**You can also find beginner guitar
chords for Irony by Jonny Diaz, First Dance by Amanda Falk, London by Brandon Heath, and soon Bless the Broken Road by Rascal Flatts on The Avid
Author (www.theavidauthor.blogspot.com).
Keith Urban quotations cited from www.keithurban.net
Photo courtesy: www.123rf.com
~We’ve all heard of the phrase “pulling on her/ his heartstrings,”
but heart-chords? I was struggling to
decide what to name my blog. I wanted it
to be a name that was both creative and meaningful. As I pondered, my gaze fell upon my acoustic
guitar where it stands in my bedroom, and the Lord reminded me that our hearts-
our lives- are instruments. They are
constantly in song, but what melody our heart plays is each of our own
decisions. They can play a melody for
praise or for entertainment. A musician
selects his songs according to his audience.
So do we. Whether our audience is
the world or the Lord, our song will be different. This blog is designed to first, increase my
awareness in finding God and His guidance in my every day and second, to share
the music lessons He teaches me in tuning my heart to learn the chords of
praise He longs to play on my heart-instrument.
Music is a powerful tool. Use it
for His glory. “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of
praise to our God. Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3
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