Purpose in the Midst of Redirection

April 20, 2015 / Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

When I was in elementary school, my dream was to become a professional Lego designer. My world revolved around the idea that I would grow up and I would run the Lego Company and get free toys forever. As I got older, this passion kept getting farther away as I became interested in it less and less. My Purpose was beginning to change, and it still is. That’s a simple example of a bigger idea about the dreams that many of us have in life. My elementary world revolved around this, but as I got older my dreams changed. Life brings change whether we are ready for it or not, people around us change and we begin to find love for new things. Sometimes in life we have a dream and pursue it with all of our strength, but the doors shuts, and we are lost. I know many of you have faced this because I face it. There’s a terrible feeling you get when life seems to be aimless and without direction. I know this feeling because all through high school I felt it, I had no purpose that I was trying to pursue. It seemed like every door I would run to would be shut just as I was about to go through. It seems to be a thing that everyone goes through, no matter how old or young you may be. In times like this it’s easy for us to blame God, when in reality, he is moving us toward something better.

I am moving towards a purpose that God has slowly been moving me toward for a long time. The reason it takes long is because I get in the way of what he really wants to move me towards. I focus on what I want and not what he wants. As I have been reading through James, I have been learning what I should be doing when it feels like life keeps blocking my direction. James 1:19-22 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” I love this because it is so honest about what we do as humans and how we should react when life gets tough.

We must listen to what the word says.

All of us want to get our way, which is tough when God’s plan conflicts with our plan. God’s plan can often be harder and tougher to reach, especially when it is a different plan from the one that I want it to be. God wants us to trust in in all things, every aspect of life, we just need to stop trying to do it by ourselves. That part about being slow to speak and slow to become angry means that before we get all defensive when the scripture conflicts with our lifestyle, step back and think about the wise choice. What will happen if I go my way? It’s most likely not going to end well, sorry to break it to you. If we read the word and listen to what it says, receiving council from people we trust, our life will be directed towards our true purpose.

We need to cut out the things that hold us back.

It wouldn’t make sense for me to drive a car blindfolded, yet that’s essentially what we are doing when we cling to our worldly desires. I can listen and read the word, but unless I cut out the junk in my life, I will continue to wander. For me this means, don’t spend hours watching Netflix, instead fill that time with reading and growing spiritually. This looks different for everyone, and no matter what it is, it might be a challenge to get rid of it. Don’t let the junk in your life direct the purpose for your life. Run after God’s purpose, and when life gets hard, turn your trust to him and you will find life.

We need to do.

Take action. Don’t just read the word and think about the things that you should do, actually do it. Change doesn’t just magically happen, it happens with hard work and over time. Is it going to be easy, sadly no. I guarantee that it will be worth it, more than anything else in this world. As you have doors close in front of you, don’t stand passively, move to the next opportunity and give it your all. Even though it may not be the end of your purpose, your testimony will grow and you can lead others using the wisdom you have acquired. Take action and pursue God, that is your purpose.

My journey isn’t over yet, I am still learning and growing. I am not a perfect person, I will stumble and make mistakes, but that’s ok. We all do, and we all learn from them. I will pursue Christ in all I do, in all of my dreams. I will follow my dream of raising up leaders and impacting the next generation, but if God redirects that dream, I will still follow him. I don’t know the end and to be honest I don’t want to know it. All I need to focus on during this long journey is to trust God in all things and he will guide my path. I will listen, I will remove the junk, and I will take action in my pursuit of Christ.

-Joshua Thomas

Finding Joy in All Things

April 13, 2015 / Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

This past weekend was one of the biggest rollercoasters of emotion I have ever been on. I attended a funeral, a wedding, and a going away party in the span of two days. Not a typical weekend for me as I’m sure you can imagine. I went to the funeral of one of my friends who I have known ever since I attended that first small group that changed my life (See previous weeks post). It was unexpected and devastating to hear, the kind of thing you never think would happen to someone close to you. It didn’t feel real when I found out, but it was. On Saturday morning, I went to the church of the funeral with my brother-in-law, and said a final goodbye to a dear friend. About an hour and a half later, I was sitting in my home church for a completely different reason. Two people who are close to myself and my family, Becky and Jeremy who are basically a part of our family, were celebrating their marriage through a beautiful ceremony. Weddings are such a beautiful picture of commitment and how Christ laid down his life for the people he loves. It was such a great time. The next afternoon I went to a surprise going away party for another close friend who I have known ever since I can remember. My friend Ben is going into the Marines and his family set-up this surprise to show how much he is loved and how much his friends and family are supporting him in prayer. Three events, two days, and one big rollercoaster of emotions.

It’s easy to be joyful during the wedding of two of my friends and to be joyful about the places another is headed, but what about the lowest times in our lives? I have been struggling with this idea and wanted to know how I can find joy, no matter how hard the situation is. I began to read James 1:2-4 which says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” A few verses later, James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” I think these verses really outline how to possess joy in every situation, good or bad, that we walk in each day.

You will face trials.

Really encouraging statement right? As much as I’d like to believe that everything will be good all the time, the reality of it is, life gets hard. We face addiction, anger, loss, and a multitude of other struggles all the time. This stems from the fact that we live in a fallen world, but there is hope. The first part of the verse in James says to consider it pure joy when we face the hard stuff in life, because it will grow us. That’s my own paraphrase version, and it’s true. The scripture doesn’t try to dance around the truth, it simply says that we will struggle, people will say things to hurt you, you will fight against temptations, but this will lead to perseverance. Essentially, finding joy during the trials that we will all inevitably face, will make you stronger and build your faith even more.

You must be patient in the growth.

Having joy in all things will take time. We can’t speed through the growing process that the persevering brings. I want to have full joy in every situation, but I can’t expect to have this ability in an instant. The second chunk of that verse says that we must let this process finish if we want to be fully mature and not missing anything. I don’t like this concept because I want everything right away all the time, that’s basically how we have all been told to live through society. But in order to grow spiritually and have joy during hardship, we must be patient. The only way we grow, is if we are continually striving for more and spending our time reading and meditating on Christ’s word. Joy takes time because growing our faith takes time, but the reward is so much better than we can imagine.

You will be blessed when you persevere.

As we choose to say I will have joy in this situation, this brings praise to Christ and he blesses our perseverance. We face trials and grow our faith, and Christ gives us so much more than we could have ever imagined. He gives us a testimony to help others. He gives us wisdom to walk through future situations that we find ourselves in. He gives the leadership knowledge to be effective and show others the way. As we follow Christ, we are able to find life and live out its’ full potential. We were made to praise and worship our Savior, and through the perseverance of all trials, we can bring honor to his name. Does this mean life gets easy, no, what it means is that we get stronger and more equipped to take on future trials that will arise.

This past weekend was like being on a Ferris wheel, experiencing the great lows and the great highs that life presents us with. I will take the highs as a blessing and cherish the friends and memories past and present, being joyful in them. I also choose to have joy in the lows, seeing them as a growing part of my life that will give me a strong testimony. I will remember the times spent with my friend and brother Seth seeing them as a blessing, just as I will remember the day Becky and Jeremy became one, and the celebration of Ben pursuing his dreams in life. I choose to find joy in all situations, no matter how high or how low. I choose joy.

Taking Hold of the Vision

March 30, 2015 / Joshua Thomas / Leave a comment

One of the biggest fears I have, is the question of am I moving to the place that I’m supposed to be. It’s the classic case of a kid wandering around and trying to see what their purpose in life is. I am definitely in that stage, a college kid with big dreams, ones that seem crazy to achieve. So, when I start to get fearful and over-think everything, I have to step back and look at what the vision for my life is. A vision for life is not a road map with a destination, but more like a guideline for the trip. It’s essentially how we are to live as we walk in life. I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of what my vision for life is, and more importantly what does Christ say my vision is. If you’ve read the last few posts of mine, you have most likely seen that I have been reading through Romans. I have loved reading it and thinking about what it has said, but all things end sometime, and I finished reading through it this past week. I say this because the last bit of it deals with what I think is the vision for our lives. Romans 15:5-7 says, “May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” From this, there are three key elements that show us how to live under the vision of Christ.

We need to own our faith, and live it.

The first part of those verses is Paul telling the Romans that God has given us essentially everything, and that we are to have the same mindset of Christ Jesus. We need to own our faith, meaning we need to not just know what the word says, but we need to live it. It’s easy to have an attitude where we know what it is we should do, but when it comes time to getting a little dirty in order to live our faith, we shrug it off and walk away. That’s not what we are called to do, we are to claim our faith. This means worshipping with all that we are, when no one is around to see. It means we read our bible even when we don’t Instagram it. It means talking to God in the good times and in the bad. Too many Christians make a show out of their faith, we need to make it personal and let our actions lead to the open doors for people around us. In order to live into our vision, we have to own our faith.

We need to come together as the Church.

Community is essential for humans. There is no worse feeling, than being lonely. When we are alone, no matter how solid we are in our relationship with Christ, we will fall, because there is no accountability. This is why it’s so vital to be in a church, serving, and proactively attending a small group. We should surround ourselves with people running after Christ, being open in prayer and helping our brothers and sisters in need. Finding that tribe to stick with will help you in your life tremendously. I’m so thankful for the close friends and mentors that have guided me through life. My family has been a huge part of my growth and I love all of them tremendously. My brother-in-law Tim, has been a great friend in my life, he’s the guy I wanted to take care of my sister. He has been someone that I can talk to, and he can talk to me. We both have struggles, because that’s a whole part about being human, but as we walk in life together, we can step away from our sin and step into our purpose. Tim is my friend and brother, I love him and his heart. People like Tim are the kind of people we need to surround ourselves with, that’s where we will have community.

We need to share our heart.

The final part of the verses in Romans say that we not only live our faith and have community with fellow believers, but we need to share our heart with those who don’t know what God can do for them. It would be crazy for us to keep the joy and the purpose we have found to ourselves, so why wouldn’t we share it? There are different answers to that question, but the main issue for me is fear. I’m afraid of what people will perceive me as or what they might say, but it’s silly to think like that. It doesn’t matter what happens, the best outcome is that they find that relationship and change the world, and the worst is they may just say, “No thanks.” Even then, I have planted a seed for Christ to start moving in their heart. Honestly the fear is a lie from the enemy, the lie may be something different in whatever your situation is, but it is a lie. We can do all things through Christ, we don’t need to be afraid of anything! We should share our heart at every chance we get, and never hide the joy we have found.

To bring this together, our vision is the way to live our life. This doesn’t mean we will figure out exactly what we should do with our lives, it’s simply the way to live as we move forward. Do we feel lost? Sure. Do I feel lost at times in my life? Absolutely. But, I know that God has a plan for me, he takes my crazy dreams and will turn them into even bigger ones. I may not know where I’m headed, but I don’t have to be scared. I am living out my life through this vision, and by doing that, opportunities will show themselves and peace will follow. I hope that you live out this vision in your own life, and remember that you don’t have to fear anymore.

-Joshua Thomas