Is This All There Is?

"Dear Dee Dee" is the featured Saturday column at
Sisters in Cahoots! We encourage our readers to write in with their questions.
If you have a question you would like answered from God's Word, please email deedeewike@gmail.com or write to: 
Dee Dee Wike, 728 Peterson Lake Rd, Collierville, TN 38017-1851.

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Dear Dee Dee,


I have been having trouble for the past couple of weeks
getting motivated to do just simple daily tasks. I have volunteered at my
daughter's school, gone to church, done laundry, etc., but I am still feeling
kind of useless, and I would really love to sleep half of the day away. I know
exercise would help, but I am good at making excuses because I hate it so much.  Can you give me some Bible verses that would
help me get motivated to not waste so much time, because I'm feeling guilty
about it, but I can't seem to get out of this "slump" I'm in? -- Denise




Although I am not
sure whether Denise is expressing concern that she might be depressed or
simply is frustrated with her routine, I think it safe to assume that she, like
many of us, is probably wondering, Is this all there is?






When
God created us he planted seeds of purpose deep within us.  Knowing that the Lord has a plan for each of
us, a plan to prosper and not harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future
(Jeremiah 29:11), we spend much of our lives trying to determine his will and
purpose for our lives.  Not all of us are
called to vocational ministry (i.e., pastors, missionaries, worship leaders),
but we are all called to serve those both inside and outside the Church in
whatever profession he places us.  For a
stay-at-home mom like me, sometimes that ministry plays itself out in mundane activities like doing laundry and cutting the grass.  When Jesus set the example of service for the
disciples he didn’t give a lecture on expository preaching, healing the sick, or casting out demons.  He simply performed the humble task of
washing the disciples' dirty feet (see John 13:4-5).




Even
when we sense God calling us to a more prominent area of service, he sometimes
takes us through the spiritual disciplines of praying, studying, and
waiting on him in order to build in us the strength and wisdom we will need to
carry out his calling.  Part of that season
of preparation includes staying right where we are, serving our families and
churches with little recognition or appreciation.  It is there that we need to seek God’s
approval and do all things for his glory alone (1 Corinthians 10:31).  As we take our focus off of ourselves and our
egos and begin to serve others as though we are serving Christ himself (Matthew
26:40), we become content in our service to others and with the increased intimacy
we experience in our relationship with him.




If you feel like you will never achieve the greatness God has for you, rest assured that in his timing you will.  Relish this season of life knowing that "we (you) are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us (you) to do" (Ephesians 2:10).  Take time to study the Word, pray, and take care of yourself along the
way, whether by exercising or catching a nap now and then, because you are precious
in God’s sight and deserve the same kind of tender loving care you so freely
give to others.  Cut yourself a little slack and love yourself the
way you love God and your family – without guilt – knowing that “there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).  






Copyright © 2012 by Dee Dee
Wike.  All rights reserved.  www.deedeewike.comLonely Hearts ~ a sweet Christian Romance
The Price of Trust ~ Christian Romantic Suspense
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