Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Author and Perfecter of my Faith as He woke up the world and I got a spectacular view of the world around me. I don’t step outside on a cold December morning to make sure everything is still alright at the farm – I step out to take it all in as if it’s the first time I’ve ever seen the beauty that surrounds me and I give Thanks to the Provider of all. I pray over the boundary lines of this old place, and I pray over every brick. I pray for Provision and Protection and Peace – but mostly I pray that God use this old place the way He uses me…to be a Witness of His Grace for all the world to see. Every piece of my Life belongs to Him, including this old farm, and every day I give Thanks as I Surrender it back to Him. My Life IS Him and my Future is already in Place and I have One Life, One Love, and One Job to do. With that in mind, my Biggest Priority is doing what He wants me to do, when He wants me to do it, and to Share Him with the dark world from this old farm and beyond. Isn’t that the way you look at your Journey of Life too?

It can be so easy to complicate our Journey and to compartmentalize life into logical little sections, but we lose the Main Message when we do. We strive to have a time and place for everything and everything in its place. Relationships go here and kids go there. The house goes here and the work goes there, and although we get stretched pretty thin sometimes, we manage to cover most of the pieces most of the time. We have so many roles! A mate….a parent, and if we’re blessed with longevity, we’re grandparents too. We’re a friend. We’re a worker. Unfortunately, most people change their hats to become who they’re SUPPOSED to be in each one of the roles. Sometimes Faith will be mentioned in passing and sometimes it will be the Main Attraction. Unfortunately, most people are “different” people to fit the occasion as they’re living out the Journey of Life. It’s only when we are Confident that Life IS HIM, and that the Future is already set in Place, that we eventually become a One-size-fits-all. When that happens, we’re the Same Character no matter where we are or who we’re with and our entire world knows Who we Belong to and What we stand for. When we sincerely Embrace that we are “made in His image”, that He “knit us together in our mother’s womb”, and that He knew us “even before He formed the earth”, THEN we begin to See that the entire Journey is with Him, for Him, because of Him, and every piece of life blends together for His Good….24 hours a day.

If we find Comfort in knowing that God is “the same yesterday, today and forevermore” then we need to Honor Him by being the same Character in every “compartment” of our lives. Putting on the Christian Hat when it’s convenient (and non-threatening) and then wearing it when we feel like it, doesn’t go over very well with the Living God. From the clerk in a grocery store to our supervisors at work, they should all see the same person wearing the Stripes of their Faith and Speaking the Words of His Grace with gentleness no matter what’s going on or who we’re with. It’s not alright to blast some poor clerk in a grocery store or a waitress in a restaurant – no matter how bad the service is in your own opinion. God Ordained the moment and He might just be checking YOUR Pulse to see how you’ll react when you’re “wronged”. Will you turn the other cheek OR will you retaliate because you “deserve” better? Don’t look now, but when you blast off over things YOU THINK deserve, you’ve already removed your Christian hat and you’re in self-righteous mode instead. Hmm…

The Stripes of Faith are supposed to be “burned” into the Soul and when we have One Life, One Love, One Job we’re sure to wear the Stripes that Reflect His Character every single day in every single compartment of this Journey called Life. My God knows I belong to Him. He IS my Life. He IS my Love. He IS my Job. I am the same to a rude clerk in a grocery store as I am to a friend no matter what’s going on because that’s what He Teaches about Character. I Represent the King of kings and the Lord of Lords and it shows in every area of my life…and through every brick of this old farm. There’s nothing special about me BUT I am Royalty, and I’m sold out to the One Who died for me.

God Painted a magnificent picture in my Heart this morning and I Surrendered my entire world over to Him once again. I’ll strive to be of Good Character the way He expects me to be because I’m an Ambassador for Jesus Christ. When I see injustice or I experience wrong I’ll pray for the Other instead of making sure that I’m heard, and IF I say or do something that is out of Good Character as an Ambassador for Jesus Christ, I’ll Repent. God expects His Vessels to be 100% SOLD OUT in His Name. I am.

How about you?