Have you ever thought, if things were just a bit different, then you could have the life you want? Maybe if that career change happened, you could move to a different place, or you could just get ahead in that one area, then things might be different. But what if the life that really satisfies our souls comes from a completely different framework than what the world around us offers? If the life we were designed for is found in our Creator, not the world, then it would make sense that his ways are the answer. Maybe the problem isn’t so much some external factor but rather our response.

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There are times that I can think of, and surely more that I can’t, where I’ve said I wanted to follow God’s will for my life, yet my efforts did little to acknowledge him or seek his guidance. Often the problem was I still held onto control, my own desires, and what I thought was best. I was missing the truth that God wanted to grow me, draw me closer to him, and produce fruit from my life wherever he had me at. That the context of where I was didn’t matter nearly as much as the focus of today’s verse – living to honor and please the Lord, trusting him to produce fruit from my life, and growing as I learned to know God better.  

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When I embraced how God wanted to work in and through my life, everything changed. It’s not that all my problems went away or that there weren’t struggles, stresses, and situations that were less than ideal. What I began to see was God doing far more than I could ever imagine, despite the circumstances. Even the most mundane job became a place I found joy, because God was at work there.

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that God doesn’t want to make that promotion happen, lead you somewhere new, etc. But more importantly, he wants to transform your life so that it will flourish wherever you may be. Your life could look just like this picture painted in Isaiah 61:3: “In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”

You may have heard God bringing this thought to mind – that you’re exactly where you should be, and that you need to lean into what he has for you in that place. Maybe it’s to stop being distracted by all the what if’s – what if this was different, what if that… and to focus on how he is leading. At times that may include a difficult situation or a new challenge, but seeking what honors and pleases the Lord always turns out to be what’s best.

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If you’re not in that place right now, you need to know that you can go to God and wrestle with all of those what if’s, all of your hardships, your pain, doubts, deepest thoughts, and desires. He knows exactly what is going on in your life, and he wants to hear from you. He is big enough to take whatever you’re carrying (big or small). God loves you, he wants to bring fruit from your life, and he desires to display his glory and splendor through you. That all flows from a personal relationship with him.

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Please take a few minutes to connect with God; he wants to spend time with you.