There's No Place Like Home....

You are so much more than the labels you think people put on you. You are made of more than the hurt that is your past. You are more than the difficulty of the present. 

You can't see the fact that people are inspired by you. By your imperfections, the small things that you do to try and make this life a little easier for the people around you. People see that your smile lights up the room and they see that you are different, and they see the that your love for others runs deeper than the ocean.

They see your love for Christ in the the very simple acts of kindness that you choose to give. 

But you don't. You feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. Like you're about to cave. You wonder when you're going to start living, when you can begin to truly do what God has called you to do. You feel the need to start a revolution, to be someone that people look up to. If only you could do something huge, something that would change the lives of mass amounts of people. You just want to do something right.

Yet God never said that you are going to do huge things for His kingdom. He never said that you are going to "succeed" in life and He most certainly never said that life was going to be easier after you started following Him. He did however, say that He would help carry some of the burden. He said that He will love you despite your flaws, the ones you try so hard to cover up, but occasionally find their way to the surface of your life.

Life isn't supposed to be a piece of cake, it is going to be hard. As a believer in Christ, you aren't going to feel like you have a place in this world, you aren't going to feel comfortable living life everyday. This isn't the place you can call home. You're here for a visit, the uncomfortable one that makes you feel antsy and ready to leave. But you have to stay. There is so much to do.

You don't have time to sit around wondering how the rest of your life will play out. You don't have time to dwell on the fact that in everything you do, you are going to feel weary. If you don't have butterflies, you aren't doing it right. People need to hear about Jesus. They need to know that there is someone out there who loved them enough to die for them, even though they screw up and don't deserve life. 

You don't need to worry about your future. Or your past. 

You are doing something monumentous in the lives of the people around you. God has placed you exactly where you are, and with good reason. Where you are right now, that is your mission field. He might call you to do something bigger in the future, but right now, He's asking you to seek Him and strive to be like Him in the work that surrounds you. Your school. Your work. Your church. Your home. 

Be an Abraham. You are in fact, in a foreign country. God has asked you to put everything on the line, to trust Him, and to walk with Him. 

 Do things that ARE out of your comfort zone. Go out of your way to make people feel appreciated, to let them know that they aren't alone in the long walk before they arrive home. Smile. Be kind, not so other people will notice, but just because Jesus was kind. 

You weren't promised a tomorrow. So live like there isn't one. Love like you've never loved before. Don't sit around wondering when life will get easier, it won't. Stop sitting around. Eternity is a long time, show people that eternity with Jesus is far greater than eternity in Hell. You were bought for a price. Glorify God with your actions. Stop worrying about what other people think of you. You are different, people are going to treat you that way. Love them even more for it. 

Matthew 7:13-14 "Go in through the narrow gate. The gate to destruction is wide, and the road that leads there is easy to follow. A lot of people go through this gate. But the gate to life is very narrow. The road that leads there is so hard to follow that few people find it."

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