every day is an adventure... or is it?

Well I traveled to Athens yesterday to visit with some friends and have had a wonderful time. This morning I got to fellowship with Melissa, who is such an encouragement!! It was so great, because in sharing what God was teaching us individually, He touched the other person, both ways. So neat!

I was talking with her about how in teaching, every day is an adventure. I never know what to expect... even though I plan, I can't know for sure how the lessons are going to go, what kind of mood the kids will be in, how that will affect MY mood, what kind of paperwork I might have forgotten to do (yikes!), etc. It gets tough! As I was formulating the words to share with Melissa about how every day is an adventure, God spoke to me. Literally, right there, riding in her car, while I had words hanging out of my mouth, God whispered in my ear (well, my heart's ear). I stopped talking and, since I had no paper, pulled out my cell phone and saved a draft text with the words of the message I had just gotten. I had to ask Melissa to wait a minute so I could get it all down! Here is what it said:

"You don't have to wonder what each day will be like... Start out by orienting your mind on me, and plan to spend the entire day there, with that attitude. Let nothing and no one steal your joy!!!"

I read this out loud, and we were both awestruck. Every day doesn't have to be an adventure! Now, let's make clear that, with Christ, each day is a journey, a new experience in following Christ, and has its own challenges and excitements. That doesn't change. But, every day does not have to be a plethora of uncertainties, frought with hardship and struggle because you don't know what's coming next or where your emotions are going or how other people are going to affect you. If your aim is not to please people or follow your emotions, but to seek to please Christ and follow Him, you won't face all those treacherous parts of an uncertain adventure!!

Isn't that reassuring? That's what God wanted me to know today, and maybe He wants you to know it, too. You don't have to spend the day wondering. You don't have to accept that every day is a rollercoaster. I want to learn how to set my mind on Christ in the morning, to trust Him all day, to rest in His joy, letting NOTHING steal it. I want to learn how to take every thought, every MOMENT, captive for Christ! Like Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5,

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

That's so cool. When a day can be like that, who would want an uncertain adventure?!

Lord Jesus, teach me to trust you. Teach me to lean on your everlasting arms every second of every day; to press hard to know you, that you would respond and grant me joy, peace, and grace, for every moment I face, no matter what the challenges may be. I pray you would help me see that you are there every second. Help me learn how to take every thought captive for Christ, fighting with your weapons, not mine! Lord Jesus, I love you, and I praise you and thank you for revealing yourself to me through this simple Truth. Help me put it into practice, by your precious Holy Spirit and by the power of the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. In His name I ask these things... Let it be.

I pray it for you, too :)