Today’s team journal is written by our Bible Study Director, Lauren Steckling.

While I want to offer baskets full of gifts and talents, many times all God asks of me is a willing and open heart.

I’ve probably mentioned before that I am a “behind the scenes” person. I prefer to be out of the spotlight, away from the center of attention. I see myself as a “follower” - the kind of character who plays the supporting role as the people around her are doing big things. I like being able to carry out the details while someone else comes up with the visionary dream. Any time the word “leader” or “leadership” is mentioned I am quick to announce: “that’s not who God created me to be.”

here are my empty hands. Fill them with qualities that only You can. If they need me, I’m willing to learn.

The problem with all of that is that it is who I say that I am. It’s my comfort zone, my safe place. I don’t like being in charge so I shy away from good opportunities for growth. Why? Because growth is uncomfortable and it takes me away from my safe place. Throughout the last ten years or so though, God has gradually, and intermittently placed me in positions of leadership that continue to stretch me. And every single time it has been good for me. From management at work during college to teaching classrooms of little ones to, most recently, my position on the Dayton Women in the Word’s Director Team.

This last position, as Bible Study Director, has definitely been a season of stretching for me. It was just over a year ago that I joined the team, and it had been evident by the events leading up to my commitment that this was where God wanted me to be. I almost didn’t apply, because little ol’ Lauren is quiet, reserved, and doesn’t take initiative - and those just aren’t the qualities of a leader. Except... God thought otherwise.

Just before I was interviewed for the position I told the Lord:

“God, I am not qualified for this job. I have empty hands and a laundry list of excuses why they’d be better off with someone else. BUT, here are my empty hands. Fill them with qualities that only You can. If they need me, I’m willing to learn.”

I constantly have to remind myself of this and I continue to pray that God would equip me. He has answered my prayer up to this point and I know He will be faithful to continue to give what I need. In my DWITW 365 reading from today (Matthew 25), I recalled the lesson of the parable of the man who gives his servants bags of gold, or talents. Two of the three servants invested their money and earned more gold for the master. One, however, hid his bag of gold and earned nothing more. To the two wise servants, he said:

“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; now I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
(Matt. 25:23)

God has been giving me small areas of leadership to be faithful in for a while now. He is proving to me that I have the ability to do good things for His glory, and as long as I am faithful in those small areas and trust Him to equip me with what I need, I can continue to trust Him to provide when He brings larger areas of leadership.

His call for me, and for you, is faithfulness and stewardship - not perfection. He has already shown us that He is the one in charge anyway. He is the true planner, provider and leader of Dayton Women in the Word and the Summer Bible Study. And oh, what a beautiful relief that is to me! He has already shown me once again that He is going before us and providing for Summer Study 2019 before we even have the chance to feel a need! I still feel unqualified and insecure at times, but the Lord is being glorified all the more because it cannot be said that any “success” is credited to me or my abilities - it is, and will always be, Him!

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 Lauren Steckling wants to live in a world where donuts have no calories, weekends last longer, and everyone would feel the grace and peace that comes knowing their Savior Jesus. When she's not taking care of her toddler, you can find her sewing, baking, or with her nose in a good book.

Her favorite Scripture is Isaiah 41:10, ESV: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

Today's team journal was written by our Team Lead, Natalie Herr. 

“King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, ‘I am afraid of the Judeans who have deserted to the Chaldeans, lest I be handed over to them and they deal cruelly with me.’ Jeremiah said, ‘You shall not be given over to them. Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared.” -Jeremiah 38:19-20

There’s a story I want to share with you from the book of Jeremiah. It’s about an exchange between Jeremiah the prophet and King Zedekiah. Let me set the scene for you: Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, put Zedekiah on the throne. The people of Judah were in a time of turmoil and upheaval, and Zedekiah was chosen to be the one who would decide if God’s people would surrender to the Chaldeans, come under their rule and therefore escape their attacks on the city of Jerusalem. Zedekiah acted like he wanted to hear from the Lord on this decision (Jer. 37:3,17; 38:14), but ultimately he did not want to accept the difficult truth that Jeremiah had to deliver. Jeremiah was proclaiming to the king and the public that those who stayed in the city would die by fire, and those who surrendered and went into exile would live, and the city would be spared. As you can imagine, that’s not what the leaders wanted to hear, so they threw Jeremiah in jail and stuck him in a cistern and ignored his message from God.

In Jeremiah’s last exchange with Zedekiah, the king opens up and tells Jeremiah that he’s scared. He doesn’t want to surrender to the Chaldeans because he’s afraid he’ll be hurt or killed. This is a very candid and vulnerable admission from a king. So, how does Jeremiah respond? He says to Zedekiah:

“Obey now the voice of the Lord in what I say to you, and it shall be well with you, and your life shall be spared.” Jer. 38:20

Jeremiah pleads with his king; promising that if he would only obey, he would experience the protection and favor of the Lord. If he obeys, then God will save him. Zedekiah is at a decision point. Will he obey God NOW and surrender? Or will he shrink back in fear?

The text tells us that after this, Zedekiah stuck Jeremiah back in house arrest and did nothing. Zedekiah chose not to obey. He chose not to act. He let his fear dictate his actions. Because of his fear, he was captured, watched his children be slaughtered, was struck with blindness and bound in chains as his city burned to the ground. Time was of the essence. The outcome of the whole nation was based on his obedience. But he refused to obey the Lord.

If you’ve continued reading this far, you’ve probably caught on to the point I’m trying to make. God called Zedekiah to obey his voice - and to do it right away. There was no time to waste. Lives were at stake. God was asking him to act out of obedience, not out of fear; he was asking him to trust Him for the outcome, even if it was scary to do so.

God was asking him to act out of obedience, not out of fear; he was asking him to trust Him for the outcome, even if it was scary to do so.

The concept of obedience is hard for us to accept because we want to be in charge. We want to make our own choices. Like Zedekiah, we want to consult God and get his opinion, but we want to ultimately make the final decision ourselves. We want the freedom to walk the other way if we don’t like what God has to say. And the thing that’s very clear in this story is that we actually have this choice! We have the freedom to choose the other way, to go against God. It’s what we’ve been doing as a human race ever since that first mistake in the Garden of Eden. We wait for His voice and when we finally hear it, we get scared. We fear the obedient route because it’s often not the easy route. We shrink back when it feels like He’s asking too much of us.

I can totally relate to Zedekiah here. There are so many times I feel inadequate and scared; not up to the tasks God has asked me to complete. I look at the effort it takes to be a loving spouse or train up Godly children or keep an orderly home or serve my church or take care of my body or run a ministry in His name... and it all seems like too much. It seems like it’s not going to work. It seems like it’s too hard for me. But when God asked Zedekiah to obey, he didn’t leave him wondering what the result would be. He told him clearly: You won’t die! It well be WELL with you. Your life will be spared. Step out in faith NOW and do what I’m asking you to do.

That phrase “be well” is yatab in Hebrew, meaning: to be good, pleasing, glad, joyful, beautiful, right. You see, obedience is good for us. It brings joy. It is right. It is what is in our favor.

I believe that principle stands for us, too. I believe when we choose to obey, it will be yatab. We will experience blessing. Deuteronomy 6:24 tells us that obedience is “for our good (our yatab!) always.” Always! It might not be simple or enjoyable or popular to obey, but it is for our good AND for the good of those around us. Zedekiah had the opportunity to save others’ lives and homes from the fire, but instead, he let everything burn to the ground. Our choices are not just about us. As relational beings, we have the opportunity to bless others with our obedience, as well.

Our choices are not just about us. As relational beings, we have the opportunity to bless others with our obedience, as well.

And so, as Jeremiah called up Zedekiah, I’ll do the same for us. Is there an area of your life where God is asking you to obey NOW? Is there something He keeps bringing up that you keep putting off?

I beg you, my friend: obey his voice NOW. Don’t wait until you feel ready or you have everything you think you need. Go scared. Trust him to work out all the details. Ask Him to help you believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to work in and through your imperfect self. For me right now, that looks like agreeing to setting my alarm early to meet with Him and move my body, even though I’m afraid I won’t follow through. That little step of obedience has the power to change my days and my interactions with others. So, what about you - what does it look like for you to go and obey, even if you’re scared?

Lord, may we all go the way of obedience by the power of your Spirit. May we listen and obey NOW, before it’s too late. Help us refuse to be controlled by fear, and in Jesus’ name, may we never have to watch another city burn.

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Natalie Herr is the founder and team leader of Dayton Women in the Word. She is a servant of God, a wife, a mom of four and a God-sized dreamer. She loves teaching and equipping women with God's Word. 

One day I was talking to my sister about my job. I said I had been there too long to move on. My salary was too high to expect it to be equal if I started fresh elsewhere in the same field. My vacation benefits were at about 4 weeks, not something to take lightly. I had been there so long, my hours were fairly flexible. I didn’t hate my job enough to consider it time to leave.

About 3 days later, I received a phone call - a friend from church. He began to discuss with me some issues at his work. Then he takes a breath and says “So, we would like you to come work with us. Is that something you would be willing to talk about?” 

What? 
 Excuse me?
 YES! YES! YES!

I agreed to have a discussion that evening with the owner of the company, when I just so happened to be at his house for small group.

How in the world did this happen so quickly? Well, the background story goes as follows: I have known both of these men & their delightful families for about six years. We attend the same church. They have seen me at my lowest of lows, they’ve watched God carry me & gently set me back on my feet. They were there to pray for me, hand me tissues, give me a hug or shoulder to cry on & so much more. They are two of the families I turn to when life is hard or is amazing. They are as family as family gets.

When I got that call, it was as if I could audibly hear God whisper in my ear “This is your new beginning.” I didn’t have to think about the decision at all. It was divinely knit for me.

I know life can be hard, and harder for some more than others. The old cliche of life not being fair is among the most real statements in the world. But I also know that obedience to God’s plan for our lives DOES equate to a beautiful story.

When I read Ezekiel 20-32, frankly, I felt sad that I was assigned to write about it. All I felt when I read was the heaviness of the Israelites’ disobedience to God. I thought to myself that they were so selfish, ignoring His warnings, when He was so clearly simply aiming to instruct them in His ways. But then I began my new job, and I began to understand what God might be saying through this section of His Word. My obedience & faithfulness to God is what gave me the confidence to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was my time to leap into a new adventure - this was a similar journey of understanding that the Israelites themselves needed to take.

He has already put us face to face with people in our daily lives who need to see Him and experience His hope.

As I read further into Ezekiel 33, God speaks of the night watchman. The responsibility he holds over the people to warn them of their lives. How the blood shed would be his if he failed to notify the people. I equate that to our responsibility as children of God. WE are responsible to the people around us. We speak of divine appointments being a special opportunity to share our love of God with someone, but really shouldn’t every encounter we have with anyone be a divine appointment? He has already put us face to face with people in our daily lives who need to see Him and experience His hope.

Plus, when we see what God is doing in our lives or in the lives of our friends, how can we not be excited? How can we not want to shout out from every rooftop about our Glorious Father?! And friends, if we are not excited about what God is doing, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to put our hearts in check. Life is not about our timing, we live under His sovereign and good hand. Our lives are not about us. They are about Him - His Kingdom, His people.

In Ezekiel 34, God calls out the shepherds, or priests, of Israel who have ignored their flock. In verse 24 He says that because of the lack of the shepherds’ care, He will tend to the flock. He will protect them, feed them, and shelter them. The reality is we, similar to the priests of Israel, are inadequate to handle the job of shepherding His flock without Him to guide & lead us in the way.

Just this past weekend I was with a person whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. He was a man whom I had previously sought wise counsel from. This recent encounter left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Rather than encourage me in my walk, he left me with a feeling of judgement and made me feel I was unworthy. As if no amount of proclamation of God’s heart over my life remained true,  I cried, devastated. I thought if I was to live based on what was said to me, no one would make it to Heaven. Then, I was angry. How dare he speak to me in a manner that drove a wedge between me & God? I remembered then that it wasn’t about me. And it wasn’t even about the elder that had torn me down. It was about my God. His grave. His mercies. His Grace. His redemption of my soul.

Our lives are not about us. They are about Him - His Kingdom, His people.

Ultimately, my life is about my faithfulness & obedience & deepest desire to live FOR Him. God wants my innermost thoughts, and He wants yours too! He wants our hearts, our hurts, our trivial daily nuggets of excitement & disappointments. Sharing all of our lives with Him allows us to walk hand in hand with God throughout each day. We get to snuggle in close and tell Him about our day. We get to lie in His arms of comfort when we are sad or hurt. We get to know that whether our miracle of healing comes in the flesh or it sends us home to Heaven, either way is a beautiful win.

In light of this, I am excited about my new adventure. I know God hand picked me for such a time as this. I am ready. I am willing. And I can’t wait to share my excitement with the One who loves me most in life.

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Sonya Gentry wants to live in a world where being kind and loving means that when we encounter a need or brokenness, we say yes first and think about it second. This would be a world where walking with Jesus means trying to act like Jesus through loving, relevant acts of service; where Christians put their hands and feet in the dirty situations of the world in order to show people God’s love and grace; where we understand that comfort zones are meant to be broken because people need us to show up and be be the best portrayal of God’s love we can be. When she's not working, you can find her being silly with friends and family, playing games with her nephews, volunteering for various organizations and events with her church, or relaxing with a movie.

Last night I set my alarm clock for 6 AM. Sounds pretty normal, right? But no, it’s not for me. I’ve been an on again, off again alarm clock user ever since I’ve had my children. Usually my kids wake me up, or my husband wakes me up with “coffee o’clock” - that sweet morning tradition we’ve had since we were newly wedded - he simply sets down a fresh cup of coffee next to my bed which is my cue that the day has begun. So why in the world did I set my alarm this morning? Because God has given me vineyards! Let me explain.

Proverbs 24:30-34 reads:

“I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; I looked and received instruction. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man.”

This is not the first time we have read this in the Proverbs. And I have learned the value in paying attention to the places God repeats Himself. By doing so, He is emphasizing a point, tilting our chin up to focus on its importance.

Proverbs 6:6-11 also calls out the sluggard and the wise:

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber and want like and armed man.”

As I was reading this, I began a conversation with the Holy Spirit. “Hey God. I’m not sleeping enough as it is. Can’t I just sleep until I HAVE to wake up?” I think the answer is yes. I could sleep just a little longer. But according to Proverbs, that little sleep would make me a sluggard.

You see, work is a gift from God. We don’t need to work for our salvation, but we work as a form of worship. God created us with the drive to work in the very beginning. He also gave us common sense. But the Fall changed everything! It warped our common sense, and gave us expectations of blossoming vineyards without the need for worshipful work - work that God has blessed us with to be able to grow and maintain these very vineyards. In the miracle of your own redemption, He has also redeemed your work - not that you would toil out of fear or work for all your wants, but that you’d work as worship, that it would come from the overflow of your heart.

We have all been given a vineyard. Look around you. What has God given you to steward?

We have all been given a vineyard. Look around you. What has God given you to steward? It doesn’t take me long to identify my own -- relationships with a husband and children, a home, my church and community, this very ministry and the Hosea Bible study, and my body and health. I could go on and on. His goodness is astounding. When I stop to consider all the vineyards before us, I see two very important tools God gave for us to be able to tend them. First, God has given us common sense, and second God has also given us a Helper, the Holy Spirit. Sisters, it’s not only okay to rest, it is ordained by God that you do so. God has given BOTH work and rest, but this proverb indicates that there is something off about the sluggards’ balance of these two paradigms.

For instance, if I have kept myself up watching Netflix late into the evening and then I sleep past my alarm clock, then I am not tending my vineyards well. In fact, what I am actually doing is missing out on time for valuable, worshipful work. Now, is watching Netflix wrong? Nope. I love me some The Crown! But what does common sense and the Holy Spirit tell me after reading Proverbs? That my entertainment better not leave me un-rested for the work that God has set before me. That kind of “rest” is not of the Lord, because it is, in all reality, no rest at all.

On the contrary, if a baby kept me awake all night for three nights in a row, then I have been awake tending my vineyards of my children, and common sense would tell me to now tend the vineyard of my body by sleeping. Deep breaths, ladies. It is okay to rest. And when I am unsure, I can ask God to help me figure out the right choice, and trust His leading. My prayer is this: Thank you Lord for creating rest. Thank you Lord for creating work. Show me your discernment.

Our little choices are really the big choices, sisters. There are no little choices in the Kingdom of God.

Notice, it was not “a lot” of sleep that caused the sluggard poverty, but just a smidge. Our little choices are really the big choices, sisters. There are no little choices in the Kingdom of God. It was but two loaves and 5 fish that ended up feeding the 5,000. It was but one hand that reached out to Jesus’ garment that then healed the same woman that had bled for 12 years. It was just two coins that the widow gave that earned her praise from the mouth of Jesus and also served to convict all the stingy givers.

Like the ant, I don’t seemingly have any boss or ruler. As a stay at home mom, I have great freedom over my schedule. But the truth is, I answer to God, who sees all my choices, big and small, just as He sees the ants choices. So, for the joy set before me, I’m repenting of my loafing around, and I’m setting my alarm clock. I’m going to wake up to worship God in the middle of my vineyards...ahem...HIS vineyards.

So, sisters, let’s take time to consider even our smallest of choices, as the writer of Proverbs tells us to do, and hold them open to the Lord for instruction. Where are you folding your hands when God has given you no jurisdiction to do so? Yes, you absolutely can sleep a little longer, but make sure it is the Holy Spirit’s leading that you do so.

Epilogue: This morning my alarm went off at 6, and I woke up very proud of myself. I got up, read my Bible, and went on a jog, only to return and realize that my phone was still set to central time from our travels out west. It was actually an entire hour past when I thought it was!

Even when we try, we fall short, but He still chooses to bless our intentions and attempts at obeying Him.

Yet, praise God, He still blessed my mishap. He gave me time with Him, time tending to my body, all while my kids slept a little later than normal. Clearly, Jesus is the only one capable of perfect obedience. Even when we try, we fall short, but He still chooses to bless our intentions and attempts at obeying Him.

Rest your heart here, sister. God has not folded His hands on you, yet, and He never will. Where our hearts are sluggish, God’s heart is bound and determined for us. When you are not “feeling it” on a certain day, lean into Jesus. He is the one that gives us the blessing of obedience, and the blessings from obedience.

Jesus is the best alarm clock.

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Jillian Vincent loves Jesus. She's a wife, mother of two boys and a Dayton enthusiast. Jillian currently is a stay at home mama and spends nap times writing and discipling other women. She would (almost) die for an avocado, a cup of coffee made by her husband, a novel that makes her cry, and a bouquet of sunflowers.

Not many days go by when I don’t second guess or question what God could possibly do with little ole’ me in His amazing kingdom filled with people much more qualified than I. In these moments of self-doubt, I’ve recalled stories of people like Noah, Moses, David, or even of Naomi and Ruth.

In questioning God of my own worthiness, He gently, yet boldly, reminds me of many places He has already used me for His perfect purposes. Note, not my perfect qualifications, but His perfect purposes. Take, for example, my job. I get cranky. I have moments where I would just as well throw my keyboard out the window rather than type another figure into a spreadsheet (I have been told I even have a “back away slowly from my desk” look). While not highly proud of this, the reality is, in the heat of normal workday stress, sometimes, my “Jesus Freak” positive attitude gets left at the copier.

God doesn’t need the strongest people to defeat the Giants. He only needs the willing.

Despite this, people know I am a Jesus-loving, God-fearing girl. Because I tend to live life wild and free, the raw vulnerability I typically display has brought people to me for prayer needs, to talk, and has even opened the door for three families to regularly attend church with me. I have been told by people my willingness to share, as raw and unrefined as it may be at times, is refreshing, tending to draw people in. Which is funny because I often feel as if I am walking around like Pig Pen from the Peanuts - swirled, not with dirt, but chaos.

I’ve discovered along the way God doesn’t need the strongest people to defeat the Giants. He only needs the willing. And I am certainly willing! The funny thing is, when I feel frustrated or angry, wanting to look for another job (the way the Israelites wanted to flee Goliath), inevitably, someone at the office says “I want to go to church with you!” Say what!? I proceed to pull my ‘Jesus Freak’ back out of the paper jam and get to share my love of God, but more importantly about HIS love for us. Back at my desk, I look to the heavens, laughing at God’s way of saying: “Nope! Sit still girlie, I’m not done with you here!”

I think David can relate. In 1 Samuel 17:45, David says to Goliath “you come against me with sword, spear and javelin but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied!” The Message version is a little more exciting, but I’ll spare you most of the details. In this version David phrases it: “The God of Israel‘s troops, whom you curse and mock!” And in verse 46 this version goes on to say “this very day God is handing you over to me…”

In our day to day, how often do we believe we are showing up with a few stones to throw when the enemy is armed with nuclear weapons? But it doesn’t matter. We are not powerful because of our own defenses or weaponry. We are powerful because of the Leader of our army! What matters in the moments of trial is our willingness to call on and obey God - He will hand over our enemy. It doesn’t matter if we are armed with a javelin, a bazooka, or a cold chicken nugget from our kids’ lunch. He. Will. Hand. Over. Our. Enemy! It is as simple as that.

we are not powerful because of our own defenses or weaponry.
we are powerful because of the leader of our army! 

As I read the story of David and Goliath, I was reminded of Saul wanting to protect David. He insisted on placing his armor on him. David tried to maneuver around a little with this armor. But it was too big for him. He struggled to move easily or properly. He shed the armor, saying instead, that he would enter this fight with God.

This passage became glaringly evident to me tonight as I visited a dear friend in the hospital. We were praying before she was transported to another hospital and in prayer, I was reminded of David walking around awkwardly in this armor unfit for him - an armor the world believed he needed to wear. David was adamant though that God was his protector. The same way my precious friend is adamant God is her healer! The same way she believes the doctor reports she receives have little to do with her defeating cancer! To be perfectly honest, I can’t say I would have shed the armor. I think I would’ve figured out a way to work with it. I don’t know if I’m brave enough to go against the “giants” with nothing but a couple of rocks. I wish I could say I were, but I’m not positive. Luckily, I don’t have to face a literal giant. But I do have to face struggles that seem gigantic. When they come calling, what am I armed with? Am I walking around awkwardly in that unfit armor? Or am I grabbing a couple of stones and saying ‘God‘s got this’?  

As I write this, I question my own logic. Why do we make things so difficult for ourselves? We just need to shed that armor, pick up a couple of rocks & slay the giant! What causes us to question the simplicity of that course of action? Is it pride? Lack of trust? For me, I guess, it depends on the circumstances but it may be a combination of both.

I guess what this story means to me is this: When my day is trying to get the best of me, when I’m trying to slay a giant, when I’m fighting to keep my head above water, when I need to not use my back away from my desk look, I should come to realize that it’s really not about me. It’s about giving that moment back to God. It’s about letting my Almighty protector take over that, and every, situation. God wants to be part of every single detail of my day. He wants to be part of which rock I pick up to the slay the giant. He wants to be part of my day not going well. He wants us to talk to him about our fears, hopes, desires, dreams, even frustrations. Because God is the God of the details - big or small. And that ladies, is what I believe we need to know about being a David in a world full of Goliaths.

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Sonya Gentry wants to live in a world where being kind and loving means that when we encounter a need or brokenness, we say yes first and think about it second. This would be a world where walking with Jesus means trying to act like Jesus through loving, relevant acts of service; where Christians put their hands and feet in the dirty situations of the world in order to show people God’s love and grace; where we understand that comfort zones are meant to be broken because people need us to show up and be be the best portrayal of God’s love we can be. When she's not working, you can find her being silly with friends and family, playing games with her nephews, volunteering for various organizations and events with her church, or relaxing with a movie. 

Her favorite Scripture is John 15:16-17: “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you. This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another” (AMP).

Talents. Gifts. Skills. We all have them: things we excel at, things we can do well, things that bring us joy and confidence - even our finances can be tied to our capacity to conquer tasks and responsibilities within our workplaces.

There is something profound about the process of uncovering our God-given gifts. As children we have the uncanny ability to believe we can do, be, or achieve anything. We dream of being astronauts, doctors, and ballerinas. As we grow, we begin to take on dreams more rooted within our nature. For instance, I am afraid of heights, so being an astronaut was never a desire for me. I knew being jettisoned out into space would not be a career path I ever chose. This was confirmed many times over by the terror I felt as a child at the top of a swing set or climbing a tree. However, in the first grade, I wrote a “book” about a worm crawling around until he found an apple to inhabit. I’m sure this story was created out of my fascination with Richard Scarry's Busytown books. I can still remember the two being on the book covers and the joy of finding it hidden on many pages. Even back at that young, unbroken age, I recall wanting to spend my time putting words to work in my life.

Fast forward to adulthood, I’m not a professional author. I work in an office plugging away at a keyboard all day. But when I found myself at a new church five years ago, broken and alone, I felt the drive towards writing begin to propel me forward almost like it was carrying me. Yet, I had no idea how to release this fire inside. This burning inside continued until someone suggested I began blogging my journey with God to overcome some past wounds. As I began to type, awkwardly sharing my raw and vulnerable moments, I also began opening myself up to God’s plan for my words. I saw myself heal. He created additional opportunities for me to write -- devotionals for a 21-day fast my church held, and a testimony that was shared during a group healing session which was then included in a book written by my therapist. Had I closed myself off to the possibilities of writing or ignored that dream, my story may have never been able to help other women heal from traumas they had endured.

God had filled Bezalel with this gift of design because He had a particular purpose in mind for him

In Exodus 36-38, we find construction being done for the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. But Moses isn’t actually the one doing the building. Moses is using his God-given skill set as a leader to develop this most important of projects (Ex. 39:42-43). We read how Moses has to listen intently to God’s instructions for guidance to get all the right materials. Moses has the laborers for the actual building - laborers with their own skill sets to help create everything the Lord had instructed be made. We know from the previous chapter that God chose artisan Bezalel. Why? Because the Word says the Lord gifted Him with the skill of artistic design. God had filled Bezalel with this gift because He had a particular purpose in mind for him - a highly important purpose - to build the tabernacle where God would come to meet with His people. We also know God assigned Oholiab to assist Moses due to his gifts in weaving and embroidery. Moses had to listen and obey God in the choosing of his laborers. If he had decided instead to go rogue the entire project would have been a disaster. The tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant might still have been built, but the specifications God had set out before them may not have been met. The intimate relationship developed through obedience to God’s direction would have certainly been lost on Moses and the Israelites if they would have chosen another path.

Another element to point out from this stretch of time is that the tabernacle was being built before the Israelites had even come to the Promised Land of Canaan. They were still nomads traveling and grumbling through the desert to reach the land God had promised to them. So, like them, even during times of drought or despair, when we feel less than worthy, God is able to bring us to a place of unveiling who we are in Him. Many times it is during our desert seasons that we are made aware, and then made able, to sift through the places of life’s hurts only then to find the joy and blessing of being in Christ.

In our dry times...God is able to fill us in unimaginable ways...ways that are better than we think or believe are possible.

Five years ago when I set foot into that new church, I had discovered my husband was cheating on me and that he wanted a divorce. Devastated and broken, I walked in looking for hope. I found that, and so much more. But this true hope has come at a price I had to be willing to pay -- my life. Now I will happily give up my “self” any day of the week to be at the feet of God. We must be willing to listen, to seek, to obey, to praise, to worship, to study, to share, to teach and to learn at His feet in order to uncover who we are meant to be in the glorious Kingdom of Heaven. We must be like Moses when God sent him to free the Israelites - despite how we feel about ourselves and our abilities - we proclaim the name of Yahweh, the I AM. Because in our dry times, those times when we feel life is kicking us when we are down, when we believe we are isolated and alone, or that our prayers are going into an abyss, in those moments, that is when God is able to fill us in unimaginable ways. He is able to fill us in ways that are better than we think or believe are possible. What a beautiful blessing it is to rest in the knowledge that regardless of how unworthy we believe ourselves to be, that God thinks we are still worthy to do His works for His glorious kingdom. 

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Sonya Gentry wants to live in a world where being kind and loving means that when we encounter a need or brokenness, we say yes first and think about it second. This would be a world where walking with Jesus means trying to act like Jesus through loving, relevant acts of service; where Christians put their hands and feet in the dirty situations of the world in order to show people God’s love and grace; where we understand that comfort zones are meant to be broken because people need us to show up and be be the best portrayal of God’s love we can be. When she's not working, you can find her being silly with friends and family, playing games with her nephews, volunteering for various organizations and events with her church, or relaxing with a movie. 

Her favorite Scripture is John 15:16-17: “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you. This [is what] I command you: that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another” (AMP).