It is for freedom that Christ set you free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourself be burdened again with the yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).

“Hey, Mom! D’ya miss me?” Garrett said as he swung open the door and dropped his bags on the floor. 

“Of course I did! Did you miss me?” I asked my lanky seventeen-year-old wearing the same clothes he left home in.

“Yes, Mommy,” grinned Garrett. “Give me a hug.”

The kids at our church had just returned from a two-day youth conference in Arkansas. I wondered how much of the gospel Garrett would absorb after a three-hour tour on a bus loaded with 50 teenagers and enough sugar to feed the multitude. “Tell me about the conference,” I said as I motioned Garrett to sit down.

“The speaker was really funny,” Garrett began. “He started out by introducing himself as a mannequin. Before he came onstage, all you saw was this mannequin dressed like him, wearing a t-shirt with refrigerator magnets on it that spelled, I have issues.

“Yeah…don’t we all?”

“Then offstage we heard this voice speak for the mannequin, “Sorry, guys. I’m a little stiff today. It’s hard to move. Apparently…I’m allergic to Botox.”

 “That’s funny,” I said. “I may have to use that someday.” It doesn’t get more spiritual than that, I thought. This is what I sent my son to a conference for?

“He talked a lot about the issues youth deal with, but when he was finishing, he took the magnet letters on the mannequin’s t-shirt and changed them around. He said we can’t be free until we remove our flesh from our issues.”

“That’s so true.”

“So, he took the two i’s out of the words on the mannequin’s shirt. And then he changed the remaining letters to spell He saves us.

Garrett saw my face was still processing the visual.

“Get it, Mom…The i’s represent our flesh. When he took those out, I have issues changed into He saves us.”

“Oh, that’s awesome.”

“It was pretty cool. He also talked about how God can’t use us until we remove the i out of other issues like sin, pride and idolatry.”

Issues…As if I needed another reminder! God had been dealing with me all week about some of my own stubborn inclinations. Who knew that my son would come home from a youth trip and initiate a review?

I had been reading in Exodus about how God delivered the Israelites from the bondage of the Egyptians. After they crossed the Red Sea, God urged them, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2-3). Over and over in scripture, God warned his people about returning to captivity.

God is still warning me today about returning to my own Egypts. He knows how easy it is to go back to bondage even after I’ve been set free. It seems as soon as I surrender an issue or idol to God, the familiarity and false comfort taunts my chance at freedom and beckons me back, and my stubborn feet want to retrace the worn path back to captivity.

In Hebrew, Egypt means “double straits.” (Sounds more like double trouble to me.) The root to this name means “pressed in.” In the physical sense, a strait is a narrow pass or passage, a tight squeeze. Figuratively, a strait is a place of great distress, oppression, anguish and difficulty.

Have you ever been in an Egypt—a deep valley with steep sides where the walls press in, a place where the enemy surrounds you and it feels like there’s no escape? Often when we’re trapped, we think God has abandoned us, but consider this: Sometimes, what we think is an ambush is a divine design. God wants to be our only hope! Why do I think so? It’s a Biblical pattern. He did it with Gideon in his fight against the Midianites (Judges 7), He did it with Joshua at the battle of Jericho (Joshua 6), and He did it with the Israelites.

When the Israelites left Egypt, God didn’t lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was the shorter more obvious route. He was afraid if they faced war or difficulties, they would turn back (Exodus 13:17-18). Once they were out of harm’s way, however, the plan switched and God changed their route. He made them turn back and redirected them so their enemy would think they were wandering around in confusion and were hemmed in by the desert. The trouble was, the Israelites thought the same thing.

I think God still uses the same plan to help us escape our own bondages. At first, He takes us along the peaceful route where the absence of conflict gives us courage to continue. But He knows: In order to gain our freedom, we have to go through the strait places, not around them.

That’s when God reroutes us. He wants to be our “pillar of cloud” to direct our days; He wants to be our “pillar of fire” at night (Exodus 13:21). He wants to be the only option for deliverance, so He takes us along a path where even we may think we are wandering around in confusion and hemmed in by our own deserts. That’s exactly where God wants us—in a place where we are trapped with no choice but to trust Him. 

But here’s the deal: When things look the worst, our deliverance is the closest.  

This is when we have to focus on His faithfulness. When we’re cornered by adversity, it’s so tempting to go back to our Egypts, but God wants to save us. When our freedom is just around the bend, we often feel more hopeless than ever, but just like He did for Gideon, Joshua and the nation of Israel, He has come to rescue us and set us free.

I admit, I still struggle with issues. As long as I live in this earth suit, I’ll have to surrender myself to Christ daily. But the mannequin at the youth conference is right. When we submit every trace of our flesh to Him, He takes our issues and removes our I’s. He is the message changer. He takes our I-have-issues and gives us a proclamation of hope:

HE SAVES US!

Prayer: May we always look to You for our deliverance and freedom. When we are strangled by the issues of life and feel like there is no hope, let us look to You for our hope. You are faithful to save us and when You do, may Your name be glorified in our lives to give others hope for their own freedom! In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.

Scriptures to Ponder:

• Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again (Exodus 13:14).
• A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save (Psalm 33:17).
• It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).
• I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts (Psalm 119:45).

Questions to Ponder:

• Read Exodus 13:14 above. What “Egyptians” or difficult issues have you dealt with in your own life? What strait places did you have to go through to get to your freedom?

• Psalm 33:17 says that sometimes we trust in things to save us. What have you used to try to save you before you looked to God?
• There are many cities in Egypt. Some are suitable for day trips and others deceive us into prolonged captivity. With the lure of a luxurious escape to a vacation destination, we often visit the cities of Bitterness, Revenge, Pride, Jealousy, Sexual Impurity, Entitlement, Arrogance, Abortion, Criticism, Hatred, Divorce, Addiction, Rage, Slander and others. What cities have been the most difficult for you to escape? 
• How do stories of great deliverance in the Bible give you hope for your own deliverance?
• After you’ve been set free, have you ever returned to a former bondage (Gal 5:1)? If so, how can you prevent that yoke of slavery from returning again? If you have not returned,  how can you encourage someone else to walk in continued freedom?

Praise the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion (Psalm 103:2-4).

When my first marriage ended in divorce, I thought the shame of dealing with drug addiction was a thing of the past. I never dreamed it would come back to haunt me.

     My daughter Brittany was always so quiet and responsible, but after she graduated from high school things changed. My timid freckle-faced artist morphed into a loud and obnoxious druggie. I hated it when my friends asked how Brittany was doing. What was I supposed to say—she’s smoking crack and popping pills? Instead, I skirted the issue by giving vague details like, “She’s working at Quiznos,” or “She just got her own apartment.”

     Of all people, she should know better—the first ten years of her life were filled with chaos due to her father’s drug habit. Even so, I couldn’t help but blame myself. I raised her in church, and even taught Bible studies and served in leadership. Now that Brittany was challenging my “train-up-a-child-promise” I felt I had messed up somewhere.

     I envied my friends and couldn’t help but compare myself to them. Their daughters were still active in church, going to college, and getting married. What had I done wrong? Internal critiques harassed me daily but like a belt that was one notch too tight, I stuffed the shame.

     After graduation, John and I wanted her to continue living at home so she could attend a local college, but Brit couldn’t wait to move out. She thought our rules were too restrictive. Her only trips home were to catch up on laundry. When I asked about her classes, she got defensive. Then during her second semester she announced, “I’m not going back. I’m flunking most of my classes anyway.”

     I had suspicions earlier, but now it was hard to deny. Her constricted pupils and personality changes were all too familiar. I offered counseling for her, but she refused and met every confrontation with bitter scorn—until the phone call I got after she was picked up for drug possession.

     “Mom, I’m in jail. Can you bail me out?”

     Her request was as casual as if she were asking to borrow a pair of jeans. She seemed to delight in the shock value of her behavior.

     How could she make choices like this? Especially after what drugs have done to our family?

     By the time bail was arranged, Brittany was transferred to the county jail. When I arrived the next morning, she skipped to the car like I was picking her up from kindergarten. “Jail wasn’t so bad,” she boasted. “I even made some friends.”

     I fumed inside. I shouldn’t have bailed her out! She needs to learn a lesson.

     “Oh, and guess who transported me last night from the Warr Acres jail to county?”

     I shrugged.

     “Pastor Michael.”

     “Really?”

     Officer Anderson was on staff at our church for years. Of course, we still referred to him as Pastor Michael even though he now served on the Warr Acres police force.

     “Yeah, I got the mini sermon-slash-lecture on the way, but hey, what else could I expect?”

     I mused at the Lord’s providence. Of all the officers in the city, the Holy Spirit hand picked a divine escort, someone who happened to know Brittany and the Word of God. Brittany may have been the only person in Pastor Michael’s “mobile congregation” that day, but he delivered a sermon just the same. 

     “Brittany,” I said, “remember Psalm 139? Don’t you know there’s nowhere you can go that God can’t find you?”

     Brit just rolled her eyes.  

     Brittany’s freedom came with a huge price after her drug bust: court costs, attorney fees and drug tests. I hated to see her endure so much but I prayed that she would learn from her mistakes and want to come back home. As difficult as her circumstances were, however, she loved freedom more than she hated depravation. Her apparent “avoid-home-at-all-costs” policy only intensified my feelings of failure. I kept hoping she would want to come back home. 

     One fall day while cooking dinner, I got a call from an unfamiliar number. “Hi Mom, it’s Brit. Just wanted to let you know where I’m staying. I met a great new friend. Her name is Brittany too.”

     Her friend still lived at home with her parents. Tears smudged my recipe. Why would she prefer to live with another family rather than her own? I didn’t even feel like cooking. It wasn’t the same without Brittany at home.  

     God, please, send Your Word to her. Send someone to her that will encourage her with Your truth. I quoted scripture: “The seed of the righteous shall be delivered (Proverbs 11:21) and “No weapon formed against her shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17).

     For several months, Brittany remained unemployed and stayed with her friend. I pleaded with the Lord.  Please don’t let them continue to enable her. God heard my prayer.

     Just before the spring semester of college, her friend’s mother laid down the law. She worked for an attorney and required her own children, as well as Brittany, to sign a “Family Life Contract.” The contract listed behavior required in exchange for free room and board. One requirement was full-time college attendance. When Brittany told me about the contract, I couldn’t help but laugh inside. After all, she collided right back into the very thing she was running from-rules. Along with these new boundaries, however, her friend’s mother also exercised compassion. She convinced the attorney she worked for to represent Brittany pro-bono on her drug charges.

     I marveled at God’s answer my prayers. He sent influence and provision to Brittany even though she no longer lived at home.  And at least this time, Brittany couldn’t get angry at me for making the rules.

     Now that constant expectations weren’t coming from me, gradually our relationship began to improve. I prayed earnestly for Brittany, but for longer than I’d like to admit, God seemed more concerned about working patience and forgiveness in me. Finally another answer to prayer came: During her stay, Brittany recommitted her life to the Lord.

     We still don’t see eye-to-eye on everything, but through the changes God has made in me, I’m able to trust that He will finish the work He began in her. At least now we’re able to enjoy each other’s company again. On Saturday mornings we grab a cup of coffee and hunt down vintage items at local estate sales. Most of all, I enjoy her pesky sense of humor. No one can make me laugh like Brittany.

     Her life still has ups and downs. After a recent DUI, I fell on my knees again and sobbed. She knows better. How can she be so rebellious?

     I felt the Lord speak to my spirit. “If Brittany walked in obedience, would you take the credit?”

     “Well, yes,” I stammered. “I trained her up with the Word.”

     “Then you would be full of pride."

     "What do you mean?"

     "You would be taking credit for your daughter’s decisions. She has her own free will to make choices. I was the perfect parent and my children rebelled. That doesn’t make me any less righteous."

     I had to admit. I had never thought about that before. God is perfection and how often had I rebelled? Even with my comparison and judgement. 

     "The best thing you can do for Brittany is to walk in forgiveness and be there for her when she is ready—ready to listen.”

     A recess bell rang from the school down the street and startled me. I'm sure I'd heard it a hundred times before but for some reason, it was louder today. Maybe that's how Brittany will be. Someday, she'll hear the message loud and clear. I just have to wait until she's ready.

     I’ve since learned the best way to influence my daughter is to let my own life speak. Beth Moore once said, “All we can do is live a life so appealing that they become jealous for our freedom.” I believe Brittany will eventually come back to the place where she wants my advice. But for now, I’m trusting that the Lord will send people to her that she will listen to. And so far, He’s doing a pretty good job.

     Today when my friends ask how Brittany is doing I no longer lower my head in shame. My children are not a badge of honor. They are human too, and like some of us, sometimes they have to hit bottom before they’re willing to look up. So I’ve come up with a catch phrase to speak the truth in faith. Now when my friends ask how Brittany is doing, I simply say, “She’s on her way down to the top.”

     Yes…the top—

     that’s her destiny!

Prayer:  Father, I praise you and thank you that You love our children even more than we do. Please watch over them and even when they fall, lead them back to Your truth. I pray You would send people to minister love to them, that deceit and darkness would not overcome them, and that addiction and promiscuity will be far removed from their culture. May Your spirit hover over our children until they are firmly established in You. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

Scriptures to Ponder:

• Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? (Psalm 139:7).
• Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).
• A man finds joy in giving an apt reply— and how good is a timely word! (Proverbs 15:23).
• In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the Lord your Redeemer (Isaiah 54:8).
• I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them (Hosea 11:4).

Questions to Ponder:

1. Read Psalm 139:7 above. When you think your children are running from God, how does this scripture encourage you?
2. Has God ever used someone else’s rebellion to work forgiveness and patience in you? How can applying 1 Peter 4:8 help someone turn from sin and repent?
3. The right words at the wrong time are still the wrong words. Have you ever spoken a truth in the wrong season? What happened? Was the strength of your witness compromised?
4. When we see our loved ones in the chains and pain of sin, how can we rest in Isaiah 54:8 and Hosea 11:4?

Remember Lot's wife! Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it (Luke 17:32-33).

Have you ever been a Chreathen? When I first met my husband, John, in 1997 I was straddling the fence with one foot in the world and one foot in church. I was definitely a Chreathen—part Christian, part heathen. But that was about to change.

Just the day before, John had proposed. We were serious about each other and now we realized it was time to get serious about our relationship with God as well. So we began to seek the Lord through prayer together. Standing in my living room, John took my hands in his.  

It started out as an ordinary prayer, but when God has something to say, nothing is ordinary. Suddenly, there was a shift in the atmosphere. Like birds calling out a warning of an impending storm, the awareness of God’s presence engulfed the room.

“Don’t look back,” the familiar, yet foreign voice said.

I opened my eyes to see who was talking.

It was John…

but it wasn’t.

Alarmed, I did a quick study of my fiancé. His posture was rigid and the inflection in his voice was sharp. He was not looking at me. He was looking through me. I glanced up and then down. His eyes did not follow me. His gaze was fixed and piercing. I felt uncomfortable. Transparent and naked.

Was it that obvious? I had been enticed by Satan’s skillful advertising campaign. I hadn’t stepped all the way in the devil’s camp, but I was at least half-way there. I thought my flirtations with the world were harmless, but in the back of my mind I kept hearing the cry of Joshua 24:15, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.” Sadly, in order to accommodate my own desires, I justified my delay to repent with a little verse revision.

Tomorrow.

I’ll choose tomorrow whom I will serve.

My courtship with sin started out casually, but like an American Express card in the hands of a teen-ager, I was soon in deeper than I had planned. Still, I perceived that I was capable of managing the situation. I had no intention of jumping all the way over to the other side. I’m sure neither did Adam and Eve. Or Achan for that matter. Flirting with the world is like playing Russian roulette. Sin has pleasure for a season but it’s a loaded gun. At some point, the consequences will kill us. Eve lusted after knowledge. One bite was all it took. She lost on the first round. Achan lusted after the devoted objects. He and his entire family lost their lives. I was lusting after the fellowship with the world. How long would I last?

I knew I should put down the gun before it fired, but why was it so important than I turn away now? I wasn’t really finished with my fun. I wasn’t in any real danger, was I? I knew sin had pleasure for a season (Hebrews 11:25) and I fully intended to run.

Later.

Abruptly, the voice spoke again. “Don’t look back.”

It was not a shout, nor a whisper, but it commanded my attention like a hissing tire. I saw John’s lips move, but it was not John’s voice.

I thought about Lot’s family as they fled from the pending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis 19:17, Lot received one warning from God’s messenger. “Flee for your lives! Don't look back, and don't stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away!"  

Lot’s wife obeyed and accompanied her husband. Physically.

Emotionally and spiritually she lagged far behind. She yearned to return to her former lifestyle. And she glanced back. Big mistake. Verse 26 records her fate: “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”

One warning. One gaze. One unforgettable monument.  

Lot’s wife became a statue and a legend in one backward glimpse.

Lot’s wife receiving one warning, but I heard the warning twice. Did that double my accountability to obey? Surely I heard the express command to me. I couldn’t pretend not to hear something that was repeated.

“Don’t look back.” There it was again! Why was this instruction so vital that God felt it necessary to say three times? 

My chest was heavy from awareness and conviction. I ran to get a pen and paper to record what I had heard to ensure that I would never forget—as if I could. When I returned, John was wavering like a tower of blocks with one too many on the stack. A feather could have knocked him over. Concerned that I may not survive the crash if he toppled my way, I gave him a quick shove in the direction of the couch where he collapsed. When he reemerged several minutes later, dazed and confused, he asked, “What happened? Did I fall asleep?”

“Not exactly,” I answered. “You just spoke some pretty heavy words.”

If God had to knock out my fiancé to speak to me, obviously He wanted my attention and clearly He had it.

For Lot’s wife, one longing look back violated God’s command. I didn’t want to be a modern day Lot’s wife. I liked statues, but I didn’t want to be one. The fact that I heard the voice of the Lord three times effectively bolded, italicized and underlined His instruction.  

No longer could I put off my repentance, choosing to ignore God’s word until it was convenient for me to obey. There was no denying, no more delaying obedience. I instinctively knew this was my last call.

I imagined an invisible boundary line being drawn like the proverbial line in the sand.  God had been beckoning me for some time to turn away from my lifestyle and worldly friends, but I always thought, I’ll do it later.

Now, later had come.

Later had arrived sooner than I expected. It knocked before I was ready. But prepared or not, later may not come back. I had to flee.

Now.  

God was aware of the danger I was in. He knew I was about to be consumed. Genesis 19:15 gives more insight about God’s gracious warnings:  The angels told Lot to hasten his escape “lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.”

I wish I could say I obeyed the first time I heard His voice, but like a toddler testing a parent’s command, my Father had to count to three. And I wish I could say I wanted to obey. I didn’t. I obeyed out of trust. The “want to” came later.

To be honest, I struggled with boredom at first and the temptations to look back had to be restrained. The most difficult times were the weekends when Satan displayed all the party lights in town to entice me back. “Look at all the fun your friends are having,” he tempted. 

Denying my flesh was a brutal exercise in prayer and self-discipline at first. But little by little, I became more and more engaged in God’s world.

Psalms 17:14 says that God stills the hunger of those he cherishes. Over time, God did exactly that but it wasn’t overnight. Recovery is only occasionally instant, but it will come. Eventually the hunger for the things of the world begins to fade. If we persevere, it can completely evaporate. In its place comes newfound strength and resolve. Love replaces lust. Character replaces carelessness. Joy replaces temporary happiness. Purpose replaces living for today.

Today, I have no desire to look back. The things that once tempted me are no longer appealing. In fact, it’s hard to imagine I ever fell for some of Satan’s stupid tricks.

I think often about the grace God extended to me. Consequences did not push me back to Him, kindness and conviction did. His voice did not make demands, rather He was gentle and encouraged me, “This is the way, walk in it.” I shudder to think about what would have happened if I chose to ignore His warning. I doubt I would have become a literal statue like Lot’s wife, but I’m convinced I would have taken on the attributes of a statue, paralyzed to my past and unable to move forward.   

So today, if you hear His voice, don’t be like me. Obey now! I encourage you to listen to His voice and don’t look back. There is hope on the horizon and better things ahead!

Prayer: Lord, I am so thankful You persist in speaking to me even when I’m hard of hearing. Please forgive me for the times I’ve ignored Your voice. Help me to trust You and listen when You speak and obey without delay. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

Scriptures to Ponder:

• My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27).
• Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path (Proverbs 23:19).
• For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm (Proverbs 1:33).
• As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly (Proverbs 26:11).
• The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love (Psalm 145:8).

Questions to Ponder:

1. How do you most clearly hear the voice of God? For example, through prayer, through reading the Bible, through sermons, through circumstances, through the wisdom of others, etc.
2. Have you ever struggled with hearing God’s voice but not wanting to obey? What happened? What do you think God was trying to protect you from?
3. The desire to obey sometimes follows the act of obedience. Have you ever obeyed the voice of the Lord even though you didn’t feel like it? If so, did the desire eventually come? If so, think about sharing your story with someone else who is struggling with obedience. It may encourage them in their own situation.
4. Read Proverbs 26:11 above. Have you dealt with stubborn issues that seem to reappear like a boomerang?
5. How does Psalms 145:8 above encourage you when you think about your own stubbornness or refusal to repent?  

Extra Study

Read 1 Samuel 3:1-10. Samuel was one of the greatest prophets of Israel, but until He came to know God, he had trouble hearing His voice. It took the direction of Eli, someone established in the Lord, to guide him. How can you be an Eli to someone else who may not recognize the voice of the Lord yet?

“he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth" (Hosea 6:3b).

As I dressed for work, I pondered the question that had troubled me for months. Exactly what is my destiny? Now that my children were older, my career as an Executive Soccer Mom was slated for retirement.  It was time for new endeavors.

     One more coat of mascara should do the trick, I told myself, making sure not to look at the scripture taped on the mirror: “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”  (Jer 29:11).  Even though I knew the verse by heart, I wasn’t convinced about God’s plan to give me a hope and a future. 

     God, I wish you would clue me in on Your plans for me! Careful not to let a tear escape and ruin Maybelline’s artwork, I screwed the mascara wand into place and headed out the door to work. My turmoil was concealed—at least on the outside. 

     I had been struggling with destiny issues ever since my son Jake died in a tragic automobile accident several years earlier. Until then, I thought I knew my purpose. It was uncomplicated. I was solely and contentedly a mother. When Jake died, however, my life was altered forever: Suddenly, I felt compelled to write.

     I had never written much of anything before, but now writing seemed mandatory, an expression I couldn’t stop. I had to write. I had to heal. I never thought that writing would be something I would choose for a living. What was crafted on paper was too transparent to expose. Besides, all my life, my friends commented on my creativity.   

     “You should open a shop, Christy.”

     “You should be a decorator!”

     “You are so creative, Christy.” 

     The accolades from friends never ceased, but like a screwdriver trying to rotate a stripped screw, they never quite gripped me. To me, the real beauty in anything I created was below the surface. Without the ability to articulate the inspiration for my design, my efforts felt unrewarded. Since my degree was in Finance, education and experience trumped artistry and I was drawn back to my comfort zone—banking.

     “Good morning, Christy,” announced Marta as I rushed into the office. “Just look at you today. Where do you come up with these ideas for your outfits? You are so creative!”

     There is was again.

     “Thanks, Marta.” 

     I stared at the beige burlap walls surrounding the confines of my cubical. I did my best to decorate my cube, but with wall-to-ceiling panels of never-ending jute, even Martha Stewart would have upholstery overload. This was one time, however, I was grateful to be barricaded by burlap.  

     My nose stung as I fought back the hot tears. I really don’t belong here.

     Although Marta’s comment was intended to flatter me, instead, I felt provoked—provoked to face the reality that I was in the wrong place.  But there was no time to brood. My screen flickered indicating I had a caller on the line. I repressed my regrets and shifted into business mode. “HUD’s National Servicing Center,” I answered as if my voice was on autopilot. 

     By the end of the day, I felt emotionally exhausted. I wanted to run home to my favorite recovery group—Law and Order Alamode, but one of my friends was doing a presentation at a writers group I recently joined, and I didn’t want to miss it. Little did I know, her topic was on creativity.

     Jenny presented research that explored creativity levels at various stages of life. “We are all born with a measure of creativity, but studies show by the age of seven, the use of creativity drops to an average of ten percent.”

     Hmmm…Sounds like my destiny.

     When the meeting was over at nine o’clock, I was long overdue for some TV and dairy therapy. I said my good-byes and headed out the door. Black clouds dumped huge buckets of rain from the previously clear skies. By the time I got to my car, I felt like I had just gotten off the Acapulco Cliff Dive at White Water.

     I don’t want to drive in this rain! I groaned as my soaked body plopped into the driver’s seat. I turned on the ignition and the radio to listen to the weather forecast.

     “100 percent chance of rain today,” the announcer began.

     Duh. I thought as pellets of rain pounded against my windshield.

     “Thunderstorm warning effective until 10:00 pm this evening. Chance of precipitation for tomorrow drops to ten percent.”

     The last words of the weatherman seemed to echo with each swish of the wiper blades. Ten-percent. Ten-percent.

     As I strained to see through the blinding rain, I couldn’t help but wonder. Was my destiny like tomorrow’s weather forecast? God intended a downpour, but had I settled for a small percentage of what He planned for my life?

     Waiting at the light for my turn to proceed, I listened to the rain beat against the pavement. I realized how much my purpose was like the rain—created in heaven and destined to be released. Suddenly, the storm didn’t seem so bad. Although my purpose to write had been restrained, now I knew—it’s time for a downpour. 

     I reconciled with my destiny that day. Creativity that had been bound up for years has since been released. With writing, I’ve found the fulfillment to articulate the inspiration for my designs. And even though my projects are not crafted with fabric or thread, I am designing again—designing with words.

Prayer: Lord, I am so thankful that You created me for a marvelous purpose. When life gets in the way of my ability to discern your direction, help me to rest and wait for clarity. I never want to get ahead of You. I always want You to go before me. Amen.

Scriptures to Ponder:

• In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will (Ephesians 1:11).
• The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever— do not abandon the works of your hands (Psalm 138:8).
• Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21).
• Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain (Psalm 127:1).

Questions to Ponder:

1. Read Proverbs 19:21 above. How do you discern the difference between the plans of your heart and the Lord’s purpose?
2. What do you think God has created you to do or be? If you haven’t considered this before, what talents or special abilities has God given you?
3. Have you gone through seasons of life where you feel your purpose has shifted? If so, explain.
4. Read Psalm 138:8 above. Have you ever felt like the psalmist? Do you have talents that are lying dormant that you wish the Lord would revive? If so, what are they?