The Time is Now.

Sometimes I day dream about how my life would be different if I were born in a different point on the globe, at a different point in history. I wonder what kind of family I would have, what kind of issues I would deal with, and what kind of lifestyle I would lead. I think to myself, "What if I had been born in Darfur, and lost my family to genocide?" or "What if I was a little jewish girl in WWII? Would I have had the strength to survive?" A lot of times I'll catch myself thinking "Why did God place ME in a godly home, with strong parents who made a promise to stay together forever? Why did He give ME life in 1992, when the United States has been free for years, where I don't have to fear our government, and where I can say and believe whatever I want?"

When I went to Amsterdam this past summer, the first lesson I learned (about ten seconds after I stepped off the plane) was that it is only by the grace of God that I wasn't born into the sex capitol of the world, where slavery is ignored and people are treated as objects. It is by the grace of God that I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma at such a time as this.

"For this reason I was born, and for this cause I came into the world, that my life would bear witness to the Truth." John 18:37

From the very mouth of Jesus came these words. Words that inspire me, words that challenge me, and words that push me to live up to the standard of the Word.

I was created in the image of God, and He had each day of my life mapped out before I took my first breath. He knew the issues I would deal with, the heartache I would experience, the path I would choose. He knew that I would attend Family Church, and co-lead a girls small group. He knew I would graduate from Union High School, and He knew who I would choose to surround myself with. He knew the bumps I would stumble across while I walked the journey of finding myself, and He knew who I would meet along the way. He placed certain passions in my heart, and He equips me to live them out.

For whatever reasons that might still be unknown, I was created to be 18 years old in the year of 2010.

For whatever reasons that might still be unknown, YOU were created to be how ever old you are in the year of 2010. You are unique. You are called. You are equipped. You are never too young, and You are never too old. God has a plan for YOU to do something that only You can do at such a time as this. Together, we are the body of Christ. Each one of us with different functions, different passions, different strengths, different callings.

Each of us walk different paths, and along those paths are different lives that we have the opportunity to influence. We have influence, whether we realize it or not. The issue has never been whether or not we have influence, but, instead, how we use that infuence; for better or for worse? Our speech, the things we laugh at, the way we carry ourselves... all have influence. People are watching us. We are here for such a time as this... We must stand up. We must live in such a way that our lives bear witness to the Truth.

The Time is Now.