Matthew 24:13–14 MSG
Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.
I am reading a book called Uncommon by Carey Scott. She points out that we evangelize with our actions just as much, if not more than, with our words. I don’t say this to put pressure on you. As a matter of fact, Carey also says in her book that perfection is a lie. We should not strive to live perfect lives but instead purposeful lives.
I spent way too much of my life and energy trying to be perfect. I spend even more time beating myself up because I never meet the expectations. My need for perfection drove me into depression. I am learning to be purposeful. As a matter of fact, I spend some days being purposeful about being purposeful.
When I am being purposeful, it is OK when things don’t go my way. It is OK when I make mistakes. When I am being purposeful everything becomes a Chance for God to shine through. It is a time for my actions to shine brighter than my words.
It is here that I wanted to write a beautiful prayer. However, instead of trying to be perfect I am going to be purposeful. I am going to leave you with Carey’s words instead.
Lord, help me be a light in the world—not perfectly, but purposefully. Help my words and actions point others to You. Sometimes sharing my faith makes me anxious because the world is becoming intolerant. Would You give me the courage to evangelize anyway? Would You help me preach with my words and my actions? I am available to You and will walk through the doors You open. I want to be part of the reason Your name is praised in all the world. Please give me the boldness and confidence to not cower but instead, stand strong as I praise my Father in heaven. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Uncommon
Carey Scott
Copyright © 2017 Tabetha Frick All Rights Reserved.
Hi Tabetha! I think you capture something quite profound in this post and it definitely relates to my life circumstances. I have actually been praying that God will help me to make the most of each and every day, and I agree that when we are living purposefully, we feel less disheartened by our mistakes. I do think being a perfectionist is okay, and it’s part of being creative, but we should always keep in mind the sentiment of Ecclesiastes, that “all is vanity” and like “chasing the wind”.
Good to live with the eternal perspective in mind, that everything is fleeting 🙂
God bless and have a wonderful day! Steven 🙏🏻