When I was asked to write this piece, I immediately thought it had to be spiritual. After all, it’s for Christians so I would have to search the scriptures, get a few verses that can speak to your situation, embellished in intellectual prose.
That failed.
Because it’s been two weeks and I haven’t gotten the Word for you… yet.
Can I be honest with you, dear reader?
Adulting is Hard!!
And Christian Adulting?? It is Hard-er!!!!
I mean the journey of trusting, shedding the old, embracing the new, adjusting your God-life with your ‘reality’.. it takes one word- Grace.
But recently, I’ve discovered it takes another word _ PURSUIT.
Picture this:
When a child is born, I believe he or she cries because of loss. The separation of their being from Jesus, (who probably is present in the labour ward waving goodbye at them) deposits a sense of longing in their subconscious.
And all our lives we run in search of that longing. This is especially heightened in people who just can’t seem to let go of an inner feeling that their lives have a deep purpose. I call it the Cry of the Called.
We walk through the maze of life subtly sensitive to that call within. That our lives are tied to something deeper. Better. An extraordinary life; yet to be known to mankind. So there are a ton of prophecies thrown at us to whet our appetites for the pursuit of God. We go to church, serve, fellowship with God and the Saints to become like Christ, while awaiting the fulfillment of that ‘life’ prophecy.
But ever so often, life hits and this is where it gets dicey. When the storms of life hit and our Christian journeys meander, our very foundations are exposed. Have we believed in truth or a promise of truth? Have we found Jesus? or or have we only found what He looks like in a Man of God.
Footsteps.
The word is self descriptive _ connoting the setting down of a foot, leaving an indelible mark, which is visible to all behind. Footsteps mark out the journey of a man through sand. Like a trail, it informs all those behind, of the steps taken by the sojourner; and if followed diligently, the observer will very likely reach the same destination.
The con however is a footpath trail seldom shows the sojourner’s falls. Where his struggles lay, his mistakes and flaws. On hindsight, at best, it marks out the journey from beginning to end in completion. Oblivious of the moments of waiting and doubting.
Why I’m I getting technical?
Because I recently read about Joshua’s sojourn as leader of the Israelites after the passing of Moses. I could almost sense his fear. A non-Moses had been given a Moses assignment. How was he going to trace Moses’s footsteps and fulfill His calling. Was it even his to begin with?
In His Omniscience, God empowered Him with commands of avoiding fear. Fear not Joshua, for I am with You.
Fear Not dear reader, for The Lord is with you.
Sounds comforting right? Probably not for Joshua because He had seen the Lord be there for the Israelites and Moses, but He was no Moses! God then, gave him the next instruction which can be summarized in a word – PURSUIT.
When called, we must pursue. Not following another’s footsteps, but creating our own journeys, our own stories, our own footsteps with Jesus.
The life of Joshua was very different from that of Moses, even in the same capacity as the leader of God’s people. But the foundation of pursuit remained the same for both.
Pursuit is key, dear reader, to the reaching of your highest God-given potential. Whatever the calling is, whatever the dream is, whatever the battle you face is, the surest way to victory is by faith built up through personal pursuit of God.
The church body is there to help in diverse ways, but Moses died and Joshua had to seek God for Himself. To create His own footsteps annointed by God.
For the called, the longing within will never cease, but it is merely the whisper of the Lord beckoning your heart to draw closer.
So after all the corporate hallelujah is said and done, go to your own closet, hear the call of God and PURSUE with all you’ve got.
It’s the surest footsteps leading to heaven.
Footsteps
The thing about admiration is it can rob you of your uniqueness
They walked closely but Joshua was no moses
After a while the noise multiplies and can drown the very essence of the rubbing off
You follow closely to learn from not to duplicate
To know how someone became
To learn the ethics but you must closely bond with God too
I’ve been hearing too many voices lately
It’s time to drown them and lay at His feet
Tugging onto His knees.
Shh.
P.S I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO THE IMAGE ABOVE.