Life verses...

Everyone has a life verse. A piece of scripture that serves as a guiding force for all else or a Biblical saying that acts as the goal to which we are striving. God has given me two verses that He has seared on my heart, on my mind, and on my soul.

The first comes to speak to my natural inclination. I am a worrier. Always have been, always will be. It is my thorn. Like Paul, I have begged and begged for God to take it away. Like Paul, God has allowed it to remain a part of me, forcing me to constantly be reminded that I need Him and need to seek Him to quell my anxious thoughts. I know without this thorn that is anxiety, I might be so self-reliant that I would just cruise through life without a constant focus on my Father. I need to be reminded that I cannot do it all on my own strength and for that reason, I praise God that He knew exactly what He was doing when He allowed the thorn of worry to pierce my skin. The good news about thorns is that God can remedy the pain from them, while allowing them to remain in us so that we constantly seek His healing powers.

He spoke to my thorn with my first life verse. He gave it to me when I was very young, a pre-teen who was seeking him feverishly in the midst of middle school.
He said, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:33-34

One day is all I have to handle. This day is all I need to concern myself with. God reminds me of that truth with every moment and those words which are forever etched in my brain. This life verse is His words to me each and everyday, a reminder of how to handle my thorn.

My second life verse is more of a goal, it is what I strive to live out day after day. It too goes against my natural inclinations. He tells me His will for me as plain as it gets, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. The actuality of living this life verse looks more like, "Be joyful sometimes, pray sporadically, give thanks in some circumstances." I struggle with the words always, continually, and in all circumstances. But, this is His command and therefore, there is no half way. So, each day is spent living those words through my heart, my prayers, and my thanks. It is not an easy life verse. Sometimes, I wish He would have given me, "Do not murder." I could have handled that one...but, to live with joy always, to pray in every moment and to give thanks no matter what the circumstances, a lot more challenging than not killing someone, don't you think? :)

These verses are His words that feel as though they were tucked among the lines of Scripture just for me. There are certainly thousands upon thousands of verses that He uses to speak to me at different times, but these two have been a constant in my life.

I'd love to hear your life verse...I'd love to know the words that you feel as though were written just for you! Feel free to share it in my comment section.

If you don't think you have one, I'd encourage you to seek out His words for you. You will be surprised by how many you find that speak directly to your heart, but then you will come across one or two, that just moves you as though the Creator is looking into your eyes, speaking directly to your soul, with words written just for you! It is an incredible feeling when you find it, and you will find your mind refering back to that verse time after time as situations and circumstances require His words for you.

Here is to finding His words for you...

Until next time-
-C.