Now What?

It’s a new season. Don’t you just love the fall? September is often a time when new schedules happen. Kids of all ages head back to school and somehow our life changes. Some people love the new routine, others not so much. Family dynamics change.

Have any of you found yourselves asking “Does anything I do really matter?” Maybe some of you have asked yourself that today.

A few years ago, I asked myself that question. I had raised my children and they had their own lives. I had invested so much time and energy into being a good mom, wife and pastor’s wife. I looked back at the memories we had made of being at a church for 20 years. The many friendships, ministries, weddings, funerals, baby dedications, all had greatly impacted my life.
I loved that my children had been able to attend and be involved in all the activities of PCC from elementary school through college and even weddings. The times of making meals, going to games, entertaining friends, family fun, planning all kinds of activities at church, so many things that we were involved in and now the dynamics were changing. All the things I had anticipated as a wife and mother were changing and I was asking the question: Now what? I had invested so much time and energy into the lives of my children, my church, and my work.
Within hours one day, our lives changed. I hadn’t anticipated the change. The Lord had asked us to make a big change, I knew God was directing our footsteps, but it was hard. Bill had been selected to be the Network Leader. He went off to work and I remember sitting wondering what to do with my time. During the weeks following our change, I was reading in Psalm 121. It is a great scripture of one of the many pilgrims who had come to a place where he was not happy with what was happening all around him. He was living in a place of unrest and conflict. (Sounded a little familiar to me.)
A little different than the unsettledness that I was experiencing, but I knew this Psalm was speaking to me. I knew that God still had a plan and purpose for my life, but what was it and how was I going to fulfill it? This day I felt challenged as I read this Psalm to do four things:

Reflect on what He had done. My help comes from the Lord.
Renew my commitment to the Lord. No more pity parties.
Refocus on what God had called me to be and do. The Lord was watching over my life.
Replenish myself by spending time in the presence of the Lord.

Remember, when we don’t know what’s next, He is there to help us.
Declare :
My help comes from the Lord.
He will lead, guide and direct my steps
when I’m uncertain, discouraged,
not sure, or in grief.

Declare:
He has a plan for me.
He’s watching over my life.
He knows what’s happening.
If I call, He will answer.

Maybe you find yourself in a place of wondering if anything you do really matters. You matter to God! Let me encourage you to take these four steps to reflect, renew, refocus, and replenish yourself as you begin this fall season.

Jeremiah 29:13, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."