Walking alongside...

John 15:4-5, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

I had the most amazing time earlier this week with a group of Deaf Teen Quest (DTQ) leaders at a spiritual retreat in Tennessee. Upon my arrival, I looked around nervously and wondered what to expect in the next few days. I did notice the peace and quiet; the views were absolutely gorgeous! There's a main cabin that has a long deck with rocking chairs to over look the mountains miles and miles away. Looking straight ahead, someone tells me that on the other side is North Carolina. "Wow!" I thought. God is so amazing! Really, is there a God that created all of this just for me? I mean, WOW! It was absolutely breathtaking. If you think about it, God has brought each and every one of us here for a reason and none of us is a mistake. I find this very clearly in Ephesians 1:4, which says, "For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." You may be wondering right now or have wondered why on earth you're here? No matter what happens in your life or where life takes you, know this...God created you the way he wanted and he desires one thing from you.

A loving and intimate relationship with Him. That is what God desires from you. The staple message throughout the retreat was John 15, which talks about the vine and the branches and the importance of remaining in Him. I have read this chapter several times and I can say that it hits the spot in my heart every time. Especially this time, I've lost focus on how important it is to remain in Christ. There have been so many situations and circumstances that I've faced this year which led to discouragement. No matter what, I've held close to God. That's what God wants from me...to remain in Him.

As I look back in my life, I realize that I've been through a lot to get to where I am today. Quite honestly, I still wonder at times where the heck I'm going? Earlier in my life, I wanted to be a professional golfer. God closed the door on that one. After college graduation, I worked several part time jobs not really knowing what I want to do or what God has called me to do. Somehow along the way, I ended up in Master's Commission, a full time discipleship program. I went through that for two years of my life. I returned back home, not knowing what's next in my life. Within 3 months, I moved to a new city and landed upon a new job and a new ministry. This has been a challenging year and I did wonder from time to time if I've made a right choice.

On the third day of my retreat, I was sitting outside observing nature and praying. I spent some time reading a devotional and the Bible. I wrote in my journal and expressed my feelings about all the things I've listed above. Immediately, I heard a silent voice in my heart from God saying, "Be still and know that I'm God." I knew what that meant. For me, it means that I'm heading the right direction and that I needed to stop trying to do thing in my own power and control. God was saying that he knows what he is doing and I just needed to stop trying so hard to figure things out. I know that I'm called doing what I do. For a long time I've struggled with the word, called. The day before, someone said that you're not called until you get there. Somehow that made sense to me. I'm here right now. I'm in the deaf ministry that I know God has been stirring in my heart to be a part of it. Yes, there are days when I don't think I can do the "job," but God didn't place me here because it was going to be easy. Being a follower of Christ means fighting for life and continue sweating it all out in love. You may be wondering right now what God has called you to do. Just know this, if God has been stirring your heart to do some special work for him, obey it even if it doesn't make sense! And when you get to that destination, you have been called by God.

One thing I know for sure in what each and every one of us has been called to do. God has created us to have a loving relationship with Him. You have been called by God to love Him with all your heart, mind, and soul. Whether you're a Christian or not, God fearfully and wonderfully made you (Psalm 139:14) and he wants you to talk to Him, walk alongside him, and to love him with everything you have! Life is full of storms. If you truly know God in your heart and believe in Christ as Lord and Savior, you will continue to put your faith and hope in Him no matter what! My prayer is that if you don't know the Lord as your personal Savior, you will choose to do that right now. Or if you have a personal relationship with Christ, that you will continue to remain in Him and go through a life-pruning process and bear plentiful fruit. The reason for all of this is that apart from God we cannot do anything. God is what holds us together.

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for the powerful message of John 15 and the importance of remaining in the vine. I pray for those lost souls in the world, hearing or deaf, to come to know you. I also pray for those who are struggling to continue to put their hope and faith in you alone. Thank you for your wonderful and abounding love. I cannot thank you enough. I give you all the glory and praise, Amen!