MANIFESTO - PART 2

Manifesto #1... I will learn that my life is a purposeful one filled with endless possibilities IF I am willing to battle the odds and stay focused on my true course.

Ever try taking a trip and not where you're going? You haven't visited the local AAA for a TripTik or searched MapQuest for directions. You haven't visited the mechanic for a maintenance checkup nor pulled into the gas station for a fill-up. And if that weren't insult to injury, you haven't even saved up for the excursion. You may be sitting in the car, but the keys not in the ignition and the bags aren't in the trunk. Sadly, that's how we go about life. Without a plan, without provision, without direction and without a clue.

You see, our lives were created for purpose -- distinct, unique and complete in design. You and only you were created to fulfill your God-ordained destiny. It is in our spiritual genetic code, if you will. And when we don't take the necessary steps required to travel this journey called life, we fall into a rut of despair and hopelessness. And though we may be going about life without a plan, the road will point us in the wrong direction, if we aren't careful.

What do you do? STOP AND ASK FOR DIRECTIONS! Life was never meant to be a guessing game. The sage advice my grandma gave me was, "Honey, you live. You die. You pay taxes. You may get away with not paying taxes, but you can't escape living and dying." Don't shortcut your way through life, missing out on your purpose.

The course of your life is already mapped out if for no other reason than to give you a blueprint from with to travel. The space in between life and death is a choice. Learn from God to choose with purpose the direction your life should take. Start dreaming. Begin to imagine where you can go when you have a plan to get there. And when the map of your life hits a snag, don't get blindsided making reckless decisions and irrational choices. Pull over and seek wise counsel.

Too often, we as women, believe the lies that keep us stranded on life's highway. "You're not good enough, pretty enough, young enough, old enough, wise enough." Enough already! Listen to the instructions of those who have gone down your road. They have great insight and can assist you in not making the mistakes they've made. And if they're Christian sisters, know that they are following the instructions of a great roadmap -- GOD'S WORD! For it says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God" (2 Corinthians 1:3, 4).

Finally, just make it up in your heart and mind through prayer and petition (Philippians 4:6) that nothing will keep you from your true course ONLY when you travel with God. He is an awesome traveling companion! It is His promise that "He will not leave you nor forsake you." If people disappoint you; He won't. If life cause you to become disillusioned; He will bring clarity. Do you think that if His Word says that He will direct our steps, that He is incapable of fulfilling that promise?

Traveling with God requires acceptance and commitment. First, give your heart to Christ. Accept Him only as Lord and Savior of your life and in your life's journey. It's called salvation and I fashion it to an automobile. Don't be too quick to accept any old vehicle to get you through life. In my neck of the woods, we call such vehicles, "hoopties." They may run for a minute, but they never pass inspection and they break down unexpectedly requiring more and more, but giving less and less. When we accept the Lord as our personal Savior, it is like trading in the "hooptie" for a vehicle specifically designed to supply all your needs! The apostle Paul said in Romans 6:22, 23, "but for now that you have been set from from sin and have become slaves to God [don't think ill of this concept], the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Therefore, in the right vehicle, you can face life and with God as your traveling buddy, you can journey though life not alone.

Next, you can't get from point A to point B in your vehicle without gas and maintenance. Pushing a vehicle in your own strength only makes you tired and achy. There are "service stations" all over the place with just the right grade of fuel and just the right mechanics to address the problems that pop up along the way.. In the spiritual vernacular and from Richard J. Foster's book, "Celebration of Discipline," they are called spiritual disciplines -- meditation, memorization of scripture, scripture prayer, fasting, study, solitude/silence, service, confession, worship, celebration, questions, application, journaling and reading other classic books.

Reading the owner's manual is not a suggestion, but a mandate in keeping your vehicle at its peak performance. Read God's Word. Study it. Meditate upon its great and precious promises. Connect yourself into a good, Bible-based church with strong and faithful believers so you can learn to travel this journey called life with purpose. You'd be surprised by the endless possibilities if you are willing to battle the odds and stay focused on your true course.

A Willing Prayer... Dear God, I want to fulfill my life's purpose. Despite the odds, I am willing to trust You for direction, for wisdom and for guidance. I accept You as Lord and Savior and ask that You replace my old "hooptie" for a brand-new "vehicle equipped with purpose. And then set my heart and mind squarely on the road ahead of me believing in Your provision and companionship to get me there -- AMEN!

Next Week... Manifesto #2: I will accept the beauty of my heart and not the words of my opposers who don't have, by their very nature, my best interest at the forefront of their hearts. I will embrace the truth about my self worth because I am told by the One who knows the truth about me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made.