purpose

Heidi Dittmar Unforced Grace Abundant Life, faith, Genuine, God, grace, Jesus, joy, Light, Normal, purpose, Shine 0 comments

My New Normal

“He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise for our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:3

I recently read a blog where the writer described her new normal. It required her to let go of some old friends and situations that were not good for her. It meant taking a step outside of her very comfortable existence and trying something new. It dared her to walk along God’s path and to see that it was oh so good.

Her new normal…

My new normal…

I am not the same girl as I was 20, 10, even 2 years ago. I have dared to step out in faith and trust that God knows what He is doing in my life – even when it seems at times chaotic and at times uncomfortably silent.

Yet the voices that held the old me in bondage continue to rise up and dictate my days. And old habits die hard especially when those voices – as negative as they are – were constant companions for over 20 years. And even though they don’t take residence in my brain as habitually as they did in the recent past, they still whisper and taunt me when I dare to step up and step out. And unfortunately I have invited them in and listened to their harassment.

But Paul said that anyone who is in Christ is a new person. The old is gone and the new has begun (1 Corinthians 5:17). And because I have committed my life to Christ and finally believe that I am new and I can do all things through Christ, then I need to silence the nay sayers and create my new normal.

My new normal means…

• Believing that I am chosen by God; I am His beloved and He is mine. Acknowledging that I am precious to Him. Living as though I am the bride of Christ, a mighty warrior. Knowing I am beautiful, desired, created on purpose for a purpose and that I am defined by God. Period. His opinion is the only one that matters.

• Grasping the power of Jesus in me and holding tight to Him when I am the most frightened. I can do all things that God has called me to because the power of Jesus lives in me.

• Walking as a woman confident in the talents God gave me, but living and boasting only about Jesus and the way He can change a person from the inside out.

• Living a fun, extraordinary, abundantly joyful life. Jesus died so that I can have an amazing time on this earth serving Him and telling others about His amazing grace. With God’s help I am daring to love extravagantly.

• Taking off the mask and being real. As I risk letting others see my flaws (and there are oh so many) my hope is that they will see Jesus shining through the cracks in my life. Jesus is the only one I want people to see when they look at me.

So what is your new normal? Do you have one? Would you like to?

All of the above truths belong to anyone who has chosen to follow Jesus. They are ours, but we must believe and receive them as truths in our lives.

Today is the best day to begin creating your new normal. The past is gone and doesn’t have the right to haunt us or keep us bound to our old selves. You aren’t that same person any more. You have grown. You are changed because of God’s amazing grace.

Embrace the change. Dare to live a life dependent on Jesus.

You have the power to create your new normal.

Heidi Dittmar Unforced Grace attention, children, contentment, designed, God, grace, Heaven, Isaiah, Jesus, job, joy, life, love, purpose, reward, serve, testimony, trust

Nothing is Wasted

“I replied, ‘But my work seems so useless! I have spent my strength for nothing and to no purpose. Yet I leave it all in the Lord’s hand; I will trust God for my reward.’” Isaiah 49:4

Have you ever felt like your work is futile? That all the things you do are for nothing? Do you ever wonder why God put you in that job, that marriage, that position, that calling? Do the dirty dishes, laundry, floors, kids all seem to pile up taunting you with their never-ending demands?

We see people in great positions receiving abounding accolades and we wonder why we aren’t called to greatness. Our jealousy threatens to rear its ugly head. So we decide that when our circumstances change, when we get that job, when our children are more self-sufficient, when our spouses give us more attention then we will be happy.

The monotony of life can suck the joy out of us. And we can become complacent, complaining, contrary, and ultimately discontent. And that’s a dangerous place to be.

But can I tell you that nothing we do goes unnoticed? God sees it all – the great and the mundane – including our attitudes that accompany our every day tasks.

When our heart is right with God, when we realize that He is our ultimate reward, when we are more concerned about His approval rather than man’s then we can be content in any situation, with any role, with any task.

Because ultimately our number one job on this earth is to love as Jesus loved. And God calls us to love the people we see on a daily basis. And that means overbearing clients, eccentric coworkers, grumpy neighbors, disobedient children, and impatient strangers. God has placed us exactly where He wants us so that we can let Jesus shine through us to a dark and hurting world.

God is not surprised at where we are in life. He watches over us, leading us to places where we can serve Him best. Our skills, talents, personalities were all designed by Him and He asks us to serve Him in the mundane as well as in the thrilling.

We aren’t all called to be on a stage with thousands applauding our efforts. But we all are called to be a living testimony of what God has done in our lives.

So if you ever feel like Isaiah was talking about in the verse above, just know that nothing you do for God is ever wasted. Even if your efforts seem to go unnoticed or are dismissed, know that you are planting seeds and that God is ultimately responsible for what happens.

So trust Him, keep living out loud what Jesus has done for you. And know that God sees you and is pleased with you and He will reward you so much better than the applause and attention of thousands.