In My Place

This is a reprint of an earlier post on my site because I am still unable to sit up long enough to type a whole devotional. The good news is it is from way back when only two people read my blog–my best friend and my mil. 🙂

I have been thinking a lot about place value in God’s family. We each have a special place, a spot different from that of any other. Each of us is valuable, regardless of how high or low our place might seem in relation to those around us. No one else can really fill our place.Yes, if we disobey Him He will go about it a different way but it will not be the way He would have done it if we were in obedience. I was talking to my eldest about this. She didn’t understand so I explained it like this: If I ask her to clean up her room and she refuses, I will have to step in and either clean it myself or have her brother and sister help me. If that happens she will lose many of things she refused to deal with and her brother and sister will receive rewards because they did obey. When we disobey, God still gets the work done and we are the ones who suffer for our disobedience. In both cases it is not as good as if the person had obeyed in the first place, but God is capable of making things right.

Occasionally I start thinking that someone else is in a better place than I am. I end up frustrated and discontent because I wish I were in that place instead of where I am. It is like one child getting mad because the other got to go visit a friend and she didn’t, regardless of the fact that the first child chose the honor of riding with Grandma and therefore was not along when I stopped for a quick visit. We make decisions and God uses those decisions as part of His plan for our lives.

Our place in God’s family is not set in stone. As we use what God has given us and follow where He is leading He will led us to a new and better place, a place with for us more to do but also which will bring Him more glory. As we disobey and refuse to move from our comfort zone He will move us till we are where we are able to live in obedience and give Him glory. He gets us where He wants us and where we are most useful to Him.

For years I sat back and longed for God to put me in a place where I could bring Him glory. Really I was longing to be where I could serve with distinction. I wanted a “ministry” and didn’t realize that my ministry is wherever I am and whatever I am doing that is in His will. I wanted to do something big for God. Now I just want to obey Him. I am noticing that every time I obey Him He moves me where He wants me, training me long the way for the next step. I can’t see the long term effects but He can see me as a whole. He sees the whole picture, and I can trust Him to get me where I need to be, even if it means leaving my comfort zone, which it will. He has new and wonderful faith challenges ahead and I long to be prepared to to meet them. I long to be in my place in Him so that He can get the glory, whether that means my writing, painting, and photography are only for my family or if the Lord has a bigger plan for them. The same goes for every other aspect of my life. Whatever He wants to use is His for the asking, comfortable or not, He has already given me all I need, a place on His family tree.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,^[a] who^[b] have been called according to his purpose.Romans 8:28

Lord, thank you for placing me where you want me and growing me into your plan for me. Lord, help me to stay by your side and not wander off to see what everyone else is doing.

Are you comfortable in your place by Him?

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