Today's Devotional Thought
April 24, 2012 by Rachel Piferi
Called to Many Things
I wrote the following devotional several months ago when Wendy and I had just returned from a speakers conference. And I ran across the devotional again this morning {by no accident I am certain} and it made me smile. I want to share it again this morning with you. I hope you have a blessed Tuesday...
My Chronological Bible, my journal, an Elmo doll, my daughter's ipod, an old grocery list, one of my daughter's hair scrunchies, a bookmark from a recent Beth Moore Bible Study, and my notecards on which I write new favorite verses to memorize. That is what you will find in my Bible Study bag right at this very moment.
As I sat down to write a devotion for today, I grabbed my bag and smiled as I saw everything inside. How perfectly the contents of my bag represent the contents of my life. But much like having all of that in my bag can make it hard to find things and make me frustrated as I try, having many sometimes competing demands in my life can be frustrating too. Especially after the weekend we just had.
we have been writing about this week, Wendy & I spent last weekend at She Speaks 2011. It was a glorious weekend on the mountaintop where we got to worship with other women, learn with other women, and be encouraged by other women. And, it was 72 hours of uninterrupted, focused attention on God and our calling. And, I cannot even find the words to describe how amazing that type of experience is (a little ironic for an aspiring writer and speaker, I suppose).
But like always happens, the conference ended and we returned to our lives with all of the conflicting demands that are upon as women. And like always happens, there is a little post-conference let down when you descend the mountain and enter life back in the valley.
When I first started going to conferences, I used to be very frustrated when I returned home. I just wanted to live on the mountaintop where no one needed me to do laundry, go grocery shopping, solve a problem, or anything else that I am asked to do as a woman. I just loved the mountaintop experience and how close I felt to God when I was there.
But, I have come to realize that I cannot live on the mountaintop. For now, our lives are actually in the valley and the people who need us to love, encourage, and serve them are in the valley too. And, much like my Bible Study bag, there are many things that I have to attend to in my day. And while that may be frustrating at times (because I would rather just fill my days with worship, reading, singing, and fellowship), the valley with all of its competing demands is actually where God calls us to work as women.
Whether you are in ministry or not, your life bag is probably full of many projects and people who need you. And I have found that rather than becoming frustrated at how you can't focus on just one thing, we should all feel blessed that God has called us to minister to and love many people. From our families to the outside world, God has many plans for us. And we should embrace each one.
Having a laser focus for the weekend was wonderful. And, I cherish the time I spent there. But, it is not the reality of life and is only one of the many plans that God has for me.
December