Tag Archives: job

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Lay Me Down

Jesus changes things. The cross is living proof.

What was once a symbol of shame, guilt and disgrace has been transformed into a sign of love, faith and hope with Jesus on it. Today the cross is an emblem of His promise.

This dream-driven, career-consumed culture encourages me to ‘find myself’, follow my passions and enjoy the success. Some of my pleasures have worn off quickly. Others have taken years of chasing flashing fantasies until the heart awakened to find these pursuits could not fill the emptiness.

surrenderWhen I stop stuffing my life, independence caves to the reality that the world preaches moments of happiness, based on happenings. If I truly want to save my life, I need to lose it.

There, on a path in search of the Savior alone, I experience the remarkable peace offered through the hand of Jesus.

With outstretched arms and worn out knees, the Spirit shatters a sorrowful soul that’s been chasing the shadows I call success.

Maybe the truth is that what I really wanted was presence. His presence. Presence of others. To be present.

potterWhile opportunities are around every corner, undeserved favor can only be found in the Potter’s perfect plan. Tucked behind the mercy of a Wonderful Maker is purpose for the crumbling clump of clay I’ve been tirelessly tossing at every whimsy.

When I’m willing to deny myself, I show the world, “Jesus is King”.

There’s the part in Exodus when God told Moses to throw down his staff. That staff represented a way of life and identity for a shepherd. In fact, God later used the same staff to perform miracles and save a nation. But before I go there, let me share this discovery:

Whatever I’m willing to release to God will be the very places I receive deliverance into the promised land.

The promised land is that place I consider ‘successful’ today. In my career. In my relationships. In my health.

When I throw down my ‘way of life’ – the possessions, position of power and performance – and surrender it to God’s will, I find freedom! That’s the change that Jesus offers me.

The willingness to lay down my life is how God breaks the bondage that ties me to this world. This allows God to transform the heart and raise it up for His work. When Moses gave his staff – his identity and career- to God, the Almighty used what was given to Him to also transform and deliver others out of slavery.

Cards on the table here. I have some things that need pruning to reflect what matters most in my life.

I have been elbowing my way through the weeds of selfish living in a single life.

While I have a deep desire to reflect the selflessness of Christ, by being present with people and God the Father, I struggle sometimes with scaling the rungs on a career ladder.

The difficulty for me that this place of single-life living actually gives permission to have a laser-like, me-centered focus. The world encourages single people, like me, to embrace success and dreams because of the freedom from things that often get blamed for holding achievement back.

I think about Jesus. Single. The Son of Man was about His Father’s business.

This is the life I was meant to live. This is the legacy I was created to carry.

About a month ago, I heard a statement that stuck, “success doesn’t come from striving”, from Amy Groeschel, an amazing woman of God and wife of Lifechurch.tv pastor Craig Groeschel.

I believe I’m already living His plan, mostly unaware and confused, because the world stresses a different definition of success.

So now I want to ask you, what is important in your life? How does that align with what Jesus says should be most important?

What are you investing your time in? Is there anything in your life that Jesus is asking you to give up? What would happen if you laid it down and allowed God to have His way with your future?

As I lay down my ‘staff’, with all the struggles, stress and strife tied with the world’s vision of success, I am picking up overwhelming joy, unfathomable peace and the light burden of Christ that I was meant to live.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:30).

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I am…

There is so much power in these two words, ‘I am’. And what comes after those words makes a huge difference!

The ‘I am’ in your mind, determines the ‘I am’ in your life. 

God can create someone wonderful in you, but if you don’t believe it and start speaking it, your feet won’t start walking in it.

Walking out of the sanctuary after church on Sunday, I ran into two friends. Both of them are successful musicians. It’s Nashville, most people in this city are famous for something. My two friends asked how I had been doing.

I was honest about the sadness in my heart. The enemy has been persistent in pummeling in all parts of my life. My day job is piling up projects (Thank you Lord for a job!). And on the side, I’m struggling to perfect a book proposal for agents and publishers, with less than two weeks before the pitch. This could change my life… No pressure.

One of my friends looked at me and said, ‘your day job is what pays the bills, but that’s not who you are. You are a writer. You spend your mornings and nights writing, that’s what writers do.’ He learned this from his friend Bill Conti (I’m a bit of a buff at film scores, enough to know Bill did the Rocky movies. When my friend said Bill Conti, I was all ears!).

I realized in this moment, yes, I am a writer! I write most days and when I’m not, I’m heart on papersearching the deeper parts of my heart to prepare for the next time I do. No publisher or agent can take that away from me, even if my project doesn’t get the support I want.

I love how Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). His life was already determined for greatness, just like ours. And here He’s claiming it! I am the way…

These words are powerful!

I couldn’t get home fast enough on Sunday to update my online profiles.

Where do you work? Writer, at trishakeehn.wordpress.com and I’m working on my first book.

I recognize I am so many other things as well, but just wrapping my mind around this truth has taken the pressure off my proposal project. As the minutes tick-tocked their way to sundown, I spent the rest of the Sabbath basking in God’s presence.

So who does God say you are? If you don’t know what God has created you to do, pray for Him to reveal that. Let me know you’re praying and I’ll pray with you… there is power in prayer when we petition in numbers!

If you do know what that is, I would encourage you to see yourself in it already. Take those small steps and claim victory in it! Just because you haven’t reached your end goal, doesn’t mean you haven’t already achieved the title. Starting is half the battle.

Maybe you’re hesitant to tell others about this dream. Maybe you hear the enemy criticizing your confidence saying, ‘you can’t’.

Well, my friend, remember the enemy doesn’t come after anyone who’s not a threat. If you hear his fear trying to make you too small or your dream too big, chances are you may be close to claiming it! Soldier on! I am…

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More Than ‘This’

Only one spot left next to an outlet in the cafe and I collapsed into a chair with an armful of hopeful reads. Before I could draw the phone charger from my purse, a guy next to me asks ‘You want to switch places?’ And a conversation about God’s work in our lives ensued. This actor/fitness trainer/sales rep made a comment that caught my attention in his effort to explain an approaching move to California. “I’m just better than ‘this’,” he said, alluding to his 8-5 job. He talked about the gifts God gave him was above where he’s at.

Two concepts crossed my mind. There are certain commands throughout scripture God outlines for His people. Working to eat is one. It doesn’t matter if you’re out in the field or pushing pencils, we’re required to have a job. If your job doesn’t allow for you to share the gifts God has blessed you with, there are 12 other hours in a day to seek out opportunities to serve with these. I think about the parable of the bags of gold in the book of Matthew. The servant who invests what the master gives Him will be rewarded ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

Here’s the second thing I thought about. Outside of tithing ten percent of your wages to the corporate church, there’s ‘giving’ to the fellowship church, a concept that goes the extra mile. Giving is out of generosity, giving is out of gratitude… giving gives us meaning in ‘life’. The gentleman in the cafe was right you know? He was created for more than just defining his life by an 8-5 paycheck.

I remember during the summer months as a child, my parents would leave a list of chores each day. I’d race through the list and scurry off to the pool. Mom and Dad would come home, compliment the tasks done and remark ‘you know, it wouldn’t hurt if you did more than you’re told’?

In the echo of my earthly dad’s voice, I hear my heavenly Father gently reminding me ‘you know, it wouldn’t hurt if you did more than you’re told’. If you have found yourself searching for something ‘bigger than this’, before you move thousands of miles away only to find your life is still not satisfied, try going the extra mile where you’re at. If we feel we’re ‘bigger’ than where God has us, there’s a great possibility we’re probably not doing enough with what has been given.

God is always on time and gives us just what we need. Where are you investing your time and your talent… not for a paycheck (that’s when you receive the benefit), but for the greater call of Christ? Because you were made for more than ‘this’.

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More Than A Job, It’s About the Journey

There was a time I packed up my car and drove hundreds of miles on a word from God that there was a job awaiting me. There were no openings and over several months God brought many interview opportunities my way. 

Today I have a new job and it’s not in the place God called me to a year ago. But I still believe in what He told me. You see, perhaps it was never about actually getting that job as it was about the journey there. Some serious pursuit, passion and patience went into His call. My faith and hope in following God into the unknown, even when it didn’t look like my version, seemed mostly crazy by friends and family. Maybe all along, it was about increasing my hope, stretching my faith, trusting in God, growing my pursuit in His calling, than it ever was about the final destination. And maybe even the ‘let down’ of never actually getting that job wasn’t really a let down at all. Maybe it was about still having faith to follow God, even if… His leading didn’t look like mine.

And I learned one more thing in that journey. I spent more time anticipating and daydreaming about the future, that I missed out on enjoying the daily adventures getting there. I had a tunnel vision focus on the result and missed opportunities of joy in the ‘here and now’. I think it’s interesting that we so often want to know God’s plan for us, but the truth is, we’d sit in anticipation for ‘tomorrow’ and miss out on today.

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The Limit of our Enemy

Sometimes we forget that Satan has his limits. As I read in Job, God offers up Job to be tested, but puts limits on the extent of the enemy’s hand. And I think we forget that not only is the devil limited ‘with’ his deception, but he’s limited ‘in’ his deception.

Have you ever noticed it’s generally the same sins that trip us up each time we stumble? The sin at its root is the same, but it comes with a different name or in a different place. You see, the devil sees what we see. He knows when he’s got a hold in our lives over a particular temptation or issue. He knows that ‘one thing’ that touches our heart the most. And while we run to Jesus in remorse after a great fall, the devil keeps his sleeves rolled up and pursues us again and again in the area we are ‘weakest’.

There are times we may claim victory over an instance we successfully avoided. But we forget, the devil doesn’t stop pursuing us. He lays dormant, watching and waiting for another weak moment, crouching around the corner of ‘opportunity’ and ‘circumstance’. And if we’re not alert or guarding our hearts, we find ourselves buried in a string of excuses for how we got so close to the lion in the first place. Each step seems legitimate in and of itself, but the timing and the culmination of the walk ends up repeating the past. Remember this, there’s nothing new or unique about that deception of the enemy outlined in scripture. He knows our weaknesses and he will attack those deeply rooted sins of our heart for a lifetime. He’ll come from every angle to tear the children of God down. We’ve got to wisen up; own our weaknesses and guard our hearts. We’ve got to recognize that one victory doesn’t win the war.

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Take Hold Of Your Daily Adventure

Have you ever considered the adventure God offers us each day with the circumstances that arrive? An adventure is defined by ’a bold, usually risky undertaking’, an ’exciting undertaking’, ’a very unusual experience’ and ’hazardous action of uncertain outcome’. Doesn’t that sound like faith?! Then why do we think and speak of a roller coaster or treasure hunt as an adventure and not so much our everyday faith walk with Christ? Why do thoughts of that first big dip on an amusement park ride invoke such deep anticipation and enthusiasm while our spiritual journey of the highs and lows each day seem meager in comparison?

I received word late in the afternoon just three days ago that my job would be ending mid week. I had all kinds of questions for God at first and then sat back in my chair for a moment to ponder a deeper meaning within. My head lifted a little higher as I recalled His provision is never failing… my heart was glazed in peace.

As I laid in bed that night I couldn’t help but become giddy about the adventure He and I were about to take together! Its in these times of closed doors, that if we allow, our confidence in the flesh is surrendered to the faith that our Almighty Provider is going to open another (Matthew 7:7, Luke 11:9). Taking it further, we know its going to be good (Romans 8:28)!

Everything on this earth, all creation and life were created to give glory to God. He gives us these experiences to show Himself glorious, supreme to any measure of supernatural human strength we could possibly muster up. For it is only by the grace of God that we are even still standing!

He calls us to a place of faith and rest in Him that He will bring goodness to us if we believe. He goes before us and with us (Deuteronomy 31:8). Now that is some kind of adventure! Everyday we have this opportunity available to us if we’re willing to let go of the reins and hand over our hearts fully to God. This ’job loss’ has me excited with anticipation for the glory of God to be revealed! And when this adventure is over, I know I’m gonna stand up and say “Let’s do it again!” Daily living with ’no hands’ in surrender to Christ is the best adventure life has to offer! If its not an adventure to you, I dare say you’re not totally surrendered to Him.