I had to say a tough goodbye this morning to someone who has played such a valuable role in my first years of walking with the Lord. Her name is Jan and I’ve met with her for coffee almost every week over the past (coming up on) two years. She’s been there through all my up and downs to give me advice and to just listen. As I sit here with tear stained eyes from having to say an emotional goodbye, I cannot help but be overwhelmed by how intentional and caring our beautiful Father is. He’s provided me with the most God-chasing, genuine, loving, caring, and thoughtful community. I couldn’t have chosen a better group of people if I had hand-chosen them myself (duh, because God knows our hearts better than we do). Without me even knowing what was happening, God was carefully placing such incredible people in my life here in Nashville.
It’s funny when I look back on why I initially moved to Nashville and how much God has changed me now. As I mentioned in another blog, I moved here to work in the music industry. I was obsessed with it. My whole life was focused around becoming a successful businesswoman in the music industry. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but God drastically changed my heart and what was important to me.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17
God just showed me that I was chasing something that wasn’t meant for me. He put the idea of ministry on my heart and continued to grow that desire in me. Now I’m at the point in my life where I honestly cannot see myself doing anything other than focusing on ministry. And MAN, it’s the best feeling. I know I’m directly in the middle of the Lord’s plan for my life and have such a peace about it.
God knew it was my dream since I was 16 to move to Nashville. He still let me move here and pursue my dreams, but He used my time here for something SO MUCH BETTER. I found a relationship with Him and will forever be overcome with emotion realizing how He intentionally pursued me. He intentionally pursues ALL of us, we just need to realize and it and respond! The Lord wants all His children to have a personal relationship with Him. Life doesn’t automatically get easier when becoming a follower of Jesus, but there’s so much freedom that comes along with it. I no longer am concerned with petty concerns I used to worry about or obsessed with personal success. I have an eternal perspective knowing that our time on earth is so so so short compared with our time in eternity with our Father.
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2
“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” – 1 John 2:15
That second verse above is not saying that we can’t love things and enjoy things in this world. It’s saying that we shouldn’t be overly concerned with things of this world (status, success, material possessions, money, etc), and instead we should set our eyes on living out the plan God has for our lives. Once you’re surrendered to the Lord’s plan for your life, it comes naturally to want what He wants instead of being obsessed with things of this world. And I’m telling you, friend, life with the Lord is so much sweeter.
I don’t know where the Lord will lead me after the World Race. It could be back to Nashville but it could also be anywhere else in the world. Wherever it is, I know I will follow but I’ll always be so thankful and grateful for these first couple of years in Nashville. They have forever changed my life for the better.
