Like many teenagers, I feel that cleaning my room is a waste of time. I mean—it’s only going to be messy again next week! Well today when I was trying to get ready, I couldn’t find my shoe. I ran upstairs and I asked my mom if she had seen it and, in return, I heard exactly what I expected her to say, “Maybe you should clean your room.” This afternoon when I got home it was “go time.” I started cleaning like I had company coming over!
As I began picking up and sorting old clothes that I don’t wear anymore, I found something—my journal. I had lost it several months ago and thought I left it at a hotel I had stayed at! As I began reading through my old entries, I realized something very startling. My spiritual growth comes in seasons. My journey is not smooth and comfortable as I seek to live the sanctified life that Paul speaks of in his writings (1 Thessalonians 4). In fact, I just realized this road is a battleground!
It wasn’t until I found my journal today that I even noticed how hard this path is to travel. As I opened the journal and began to read the words God had spoken to me, I began to weep. Though my last entry was only several months ago, I realized that I have not grown ANY in my Faith! I have been standing around with my hands in my pockets while I could have been building bridges and climbing mountains!
As I came to the conclusion that today is the beginning of a new season in my journey to living a sanctified life, I have made the commitment to not let this season end—that I will live in the season of growth that God wants. I’m no longer going to wait on hearing “just the right” message or reading “just the right” book to hear what God wants to speak to me openly. All we have to do is listen. God is not a god who will wait on something to happen before He moves; He takes the initiative.
I was reminded of how much David speaks of waiting in the Lord in Psalms (Psalm 27; 33). It hit me like a slap in the face. The things I have been broken over have not changed because I was waiting on God to do something, and our “clocks” weren’t together. Because I have been waiting on myself, I have grown impatient; but if I wait in the Lord, I don’t even have to worry about those troubles because He is going to take care of everything according to His perfect Will. Praise God!!!
“Lord I pray that I will no longer wait on myself, but in you, so that my journey down this road moves according to your plan and not mine—that my trust will grow stronger and I can be more courageous than ever.”
Jody Johnston is a student at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. With a fire in his heart that only God could’ve ignited, he is a servant and prayer warrior. He calls New Orleans, LA his home. You can contact him on facebook www.facebook.com/jodygjohnston.