“Roll Down the Windows and Sing!”

I was talking on the phone to a friend of mine the other day. She is recently walking through some difficult days, days that demand more strength than she has. Days that have been filled with tears, accusation, hurt, betrayal, sickness, and pain. Her details have fallen apart, and she is beginning again in more ways than she wants to count. With this, she has met Father God again, and they have been having some rich conversations. I wanted to share her words with you.

“Karla, I lived a life of justification and rationalization. The standard I held for myself was low, and I made too many allowances – for my husband, my job, my children, etc. I had money, stability and a quaint life with no objections. But I knew – I knew better. If only I would have come to my knees before it came to this mess. But I continued to say – ‘Oh well, it is not that bad.’ I accepted mediocrity and lived blindly. I was just getting up and going through the motions. I was not present. I was robotic. I didn’t have peace and joy. I had a bigger life to live than this, and I was too scared to live it. Finally, I have realized that I have choices for greatness. We are told we are so much greater than we ever believe of ourselves. God tells us this. And the peace and joy comes from him. Move in God’s direction. I am done with nothing special. I am in for the extraordinary. But I cannot control my peace and joy through my circumstances; it is a gift. And I finally began the process of receiving it. This was not a quick decision or a quick result. When you drive your train and direct your life for that long, it is a long process to give that up. My thoughts began something like this: ‘I am scared and sick. I don’t know what to do. I have gone through every other option to change this. I don’t know. I don’t know. God, help.’ And I started getting these little miracles that helped guide me into strength. I began gathering up all of these little instances, and I could still rationalize them as chance, but I chose to believe, day after day. I chose to believe and walk with God. None of my problems have been solved; it is just that I can breathe. That’s the difference. There is a freedom now and a strength I experience. I don’t have to hold my breath anymore and be so afraid. I can roll down the windows and sing.”

And all of us must come to these decisions of belief. Do you believe that you can control your circumstances? Do you believe that peace and joy come as a gift from God? Do you believe in the Bible? If so, then the Bible tells you that you have a Father God that loves you and is desperate for your love (Luke 15:20-24). He sent Jesus to walk your steps and bring you back to him. He has given you a new name, a value, a worth, an identity (Colossians 2:9-14, Ephesians 1:3-6 and Ephesians 2:4-7). You don’t have to live the robotic life anymore. No more allowances! Begin the conversation with Father God. Ask him for his gifts. Pursue his love. Accept your identity. Confront your justification. Choose to believe. You have a big life to lead, and you bring extraordinary value to the table. You too can roll down the windows and sing!

“By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us – set us right with him, make us fit for him – we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand – out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.” Romans 5:1-2 in The Message