A Summer That Matters

He has told you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?”

-         Micah 6:8

So I have been contemplating what the summer will hold for me. I have this intense desire for this summer to mean something. The last few summers have been rough. Necessary…but rough. I know that all I have been through- all of the brokenness, the pruning, the molding- has been for a purpose. When you ask God to chip away everything in your life that does not resemble the image of Christ, He will do it. He’s pretty faithful like that. So what is He preparing me for? I don't know right now and am not really sure if He will choose to reveal that to me anytime soon. I am probably not ready yet. I’d like to think it’s an important task. Maybe He has been preparing to use me in a way I would never have imagined. I can only pray that this is the case. Because I do want to be used by God in great ways. I don’t want to just be a follower of Christ. I want to be a GREAT follower of Christ. I don’t want to do good things for His kingdom and glory. I want to do GREAT things for His kingdom and glory. And the truth of the matter is that God is looking for someone with my ability, my background, my passion who unashamedly will say, “I want to do something GREAT for the King of kings and Lord of lords. I want Him to use me beyond my wildest dreams. I want to become more like Christ every day. I want to be a GREAT Christian!”

So back to the summer…yes, I want it to mean something. I want this to be a summer of healing, a summer of growth, a summer of transformation. I want this to be a summer where I see the power of God, where He reveals His plan...a summer that matters to God. God has already started working, and I want to see His hand and experience His power in a way I never have before. Ultimately, I want this summer to have the mark of God on it. I want that mark to be on my actions and words, on my work endeavors and relationships.

Summer is actually my busy time for work. So I have to be extra conscious of staying focused. When I get busy with tasks at hand, I tend to lose focus and before I know it, weeks have passed without real growth or intimacy with God. So my prayer is to stay focused, to experience intimacy with God in the midst of craziness, and to grow closer to the heart of God. I have found that intimacy with Him is almost a prerequisite to discovering His will, experiencing His power, and conforming to His image.

I am studying through Proverbs with a group of amazing women of God. I am excited to dig deep into His Word and gain wisdom. I am excited to learn all He has to reveal about His character. I am excited to see His plan continue to unfold in my life. I am confident God will do His part; He’s God- it’s what He does. I just need to figure out what my role is in this profound venture. I am confident God has prepared me for a summer such as this…