God Always Draws You Further Still

SPIRITUAL MARKERS: If you have been a believer for any length of time, you know that your spiritual life is more like a journey. In your journey you come to divine appointments with God. He stops you. You are given a choice, to follow or to turn away. Each one is significant.

Spiritual Life has Significant Markers

Spiritual life has times when the remarkable happens. Your life is led up to a point. The Holy Spirit touches you deep within. It affects you mind, heart, and soul. Something happens in you that is life-changing real. You take a step forward and mature deeper in your faith.

My Spiritual Markers: My spiritual life has five significant markers. Each is like a stepping stone indicating its relationship to its source. My ‘source’ is spiritual. God is my Source. He is my Sustainer and Keeper.

5 Markers that Transformed My Life

Marker 1: Salvation through Christ: At age 7, I realize my need of a Savior. I believe in Christ and pray to accept His gift of salvation for my soul. Baptism soon follows. This happens at the conclusion of family devotions with my mother. My brother also accepts the Lord. This is during the Bay of Pigs crisis, when fear is consuming our nation.

Marker 2: Dedicate my life to God: At age 16, the Spirit of God floods my soul. I am brought closer to God in my walk of faith. I purposely choose to follow Him. This happens at Pilot Lake Camp. I can’t stop weeping. My heart is overcome. I pray from my heart. I give my life to God at this point. I never look back.

I Give Up Doing it My Way to Do it God’s Way.

Marker 3: Surrender to God: At age 46, during a year of across-the-board painful upheaval in my life. My husband has left me. I go through a painful separation and divorce. During this difficult year I take stock of my spiritual life and decide it can’t go on as it has been going. I am full of pain. I give it all to God and trust Him for the rest. I ask God to change me. I enter a transformational process that includes inner healing and freeing.

Marker 4: Minister with a Message: At age 54, I intention to develop my inter-personal, writing, and speaking skills. I seek opportunities to share what God is teaching me. I come to a point where I realize it is time to speak of what God had done and is doing in me. I don’t feel ready or adequate, but I am willing and trust God to be my adequacy. Sharing my thoughts on God–how one can have an intimate relationship with Him–is a burning desire within me. I share my testimony of pain and healing in church, even the ugly parts (audio recording here).

I Discover My Calling

Marker 5: Fulfill my Calling: At age 57, I consecrate myself to God’s purpose and calling on my life. I come to a “Y” in the road: Pursue ministry vs. my Professional employment. This is an intense, confusing time with lots of stress in my teaching career. I ask strong people in the Lord about difficult choices they have made. I am impressed that God has a calling on my life and that I should be about my Father’s business. I retire from teaching (and security) and look to the future. I embrace God fully, intentionally, unconditionally. I let the rest go.

Since then I have been writing and speaking my message. It is a passion with me.

I Write and Speak My Message

I do what God calls me to do. No, it is not an easy or comfortable path. Yes, it is a divine plan by a divine God for a divine purpose. That makes it a worthwhile endeavor that could also be said in this way, “a perfect plan by a perfect God for a perfect purpose.” He perfects the offering as He wills, and I get to be a part of that. It is an amazing mystery of which I don’t come close to understanding. God uses imperfect people for His perfect plan. Wow!

My story is not your story. Your markers have similarities and differences to mine. Your life has a purpose that is unique to you. God also has a calling on your life. This is your destiny. Want to fulfill your destiny? Seek God with your whole being. In time you will know what and how God intends to use you. The key is to follow God with your heart, mind, and soul. He enables what He calls us to do. That is where the wisdom of God comes in. God knows what He is doing and we do not. Trust Him for the journey.

Nothing is wasted in God’s kingdom.

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Photo by Thomas J. Wieland