The Canvas of Our Lives: Responding to God's Will

Life's changing colors

God’s love for us is painted on the individual canvas of our lives. Whether that canvas seems chaotic or calm, well-ordered or not, God always demonstrates His love and care for us. We must open our eyes to see him, our ears to hear Him, and our wills to follow Him. At times, we seem fully aware of Him, our lives steeped in the presence of the Holy Spirit. At other times, we might ignore Him or blot Him from our lives completely.

Our weak attempts to obscure God's plans simply do not work. Trusting His purpose for our lives and responding to His will requires that we surrender ALL and seek Him in all we do. In Mere Christianity C.S. Lewis wrote, "Christ says, 'Give me ALL. I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work. I WANT YOU. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it...I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you MYSELF: my own will shall become yours'" (emphasis mine). The canvas we so desperately think we know how to paint belongs to God. He is the artist of our lives. When we allow Him to create His masterpiece His Way, the slippery slope that is the world, so dangerous and detrimental to our hearts, our minds, and our souls, disappears and we learn to live in the world, yet free and separate from it. Romans 12:2 cautions us. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (NIV).

Understanding and responding to God’s will for our lives requires that we acknowledge Him for who He is and the work He wants to do in our lives. Surrendering our will to Him is easier when we trust Him completely, immerse ourselves in His Word, and adopt a vital and active prayer life. The Bible says, “Let us then approach God’s throne with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16) Whether we realize it or not, we are always in need of God. Our lives look different when we stop telling God what He should do in our lives or what we would like Him to do and allow Him to, instead, direct our paths.

Sixty-six years of life experiences and choices tells me this truth...“Trust in the Lord with all [my] heart, and lean not on [my] own understanding; in all [my] ways submit to Him, and He shall make [my] paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). With each passing year, my desire for God and His will for my life intensifies. He requires much of me. There is work He wants me to do, things He wants me to see, things He wants me to know. In His Word, I find the truth and the wisdom I need to follow Him. Reading the words found in Job 38-42:6, I sit in awe of our Creator, and I am reminded that where God is concerned there will always be things I do not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. I need not understand the why of it all to trust God, to praise Him, to seek Him, and to follow His will for my life, for I know who God is and what He has done for me and for those I love. Submitting to God's will, I see His hand everywhere as He creates the canvas of our lives.

God’s love for you and for me is purposeful, steadfast, and eternal. “In love, he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:4-7,emphasis mine). Our walk with God is personal. It should never be about outward behaviors that shout, “Look at me. I am a Christian,” nor should ours be a mirror of what others are doing. God is sovereign, His foundation firm. Satan’s attempts to distract us are meaningless and godless. God’s plan for our lives requires we pursue Him—not the world’s idea of Him. If ours is truly a desire to be in a relationship with God, we must put all pretense aside and ask ourselves, “For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man?” And, in our truthful response to those questions, we come to know and to understand, “If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

God knows each one of us. He sees our hearts. He knows our minds. God created us to be His vessels. From the desires of hearts truly seeking Him, trusting Him and following His good, pleasing, and perfect will; let us “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, skillful in teaching, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:22-26, NASB). Allowing God to create the canvas of your life and mine according to His purpose and plan, we grow and the world changes...one beautiful masterpiece at a time.

God Leads His Dear Children Along: Embracing God in the Fire

The New Year is upon us, and as I grow nearer to sixty-six years of age, I find it funny some days I feel all those years, some days more, and some days not nearly that old at all. Whatever the day brings, I know God leads His dear daughter along. Still, I could not do any of this without Him.

Not long ago, I was reminded of how God leads us by a sweet friend I met while living as an expat in Muscat, Oman. Perhaps for her, the mention of the song, God Leads His Dear Children Along, brought back many precious memories of her daddy leading his congregation not only in song but also in the Word of God. I have no doubt God is leading that dear daughter and my friend through the pain and the sorrow of losing her father during this holiday season just as He leads all of us through whatever we may face.

This friend and I were connected by many things, but as time went on, what set her apart was the light of Jesus she bore so beautifully. Not long ago, I reunited with her at a celebration of life for a mutual friend. I was surprised to receive the news of our friend’s death. She was the robust, athletic type, strong and resilient with a high-spirited laugh and a lively personality. There was within her, too, a softness and a fragility that only those closest to her knew. Still, she was the last person I would have expected to be celebrating in this way—more birthdays perhaps—but not because of her death.

Still, God leads his dear children along throughout the entirety of our lives. He connects us to others in the most unlikely of circumstances. The memories of my life as an expat are many. I do miss many things about that experience. I am thankful for those whose lives touched mine and today, especially grateful, for these two women who God brought into my life. That we would have connected in Muscat is one of God’s little miracles, a story to be shared at another time, but my friend’s passing reminds me of how God brings people into and out of our lives and then back in.

My husband and I spent many years moving from place to place in the United States before he accepted an overseas transfer. While in the U.S., our sons moved with us, but looking back, I see how leaving them behind to move overseas just as they entered adulthood impacted our family dynamics and their lives too—all our lives, really. That part I would not recommend to others who are thinking of taking on an adventure as expats; however, God led all of us through it, and He continues to lead us.

As for each one of us, I see the truth of what happens when people choose to become stronger because of the difficulties they face; rather than, allowing those trials and tribulations to define them. I understand much better now than I once did that those things from our past we might believe define us God uses to refine us. From the Prophets, the Psalms, Proverbs and the New Testament, we hear of God’s refining fire. “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, the Lord is my God” (Zechariah 13:9, ESV).

Biblical history not only tells the true story of God’s refining power but also of His great mercy for His children. “But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver” (Malachi 3:2-3). You and I were created in the image of God, for a specific purpose. God remains with us even as we are tested in the “furnace of affliction.” (Isaiah 48:10). Like fine silver, the Lord refines us that we will seek righteousness. He “tests [our] hearts” (See Proverbs 17:3; Psalms 66:10), but all the while, He is with us. God leads his dear children along.

There are times in our lives when we might be led to believe God is gone, that He has left us alone to save ourselves. Salvation, however, does not exist outside of Him and His Son and our Savior Jesus, and though refining is certainly painful, when we turn our hearts to God, we learn of His unending mercy and the power of His redemptive work in us. When we place our confidence in Him, we soon understand that in every affliction, in every trial, in all of life’s circumstances, throughout our suffering God is our strength. He is our hope in times of trial. Calling out to God, He comes. God cares for His children. When we need to be set free from our sins, God’s refining fire, as difficult as it might be, is our assurance God does not let go. He is with us.

I have no idea what lies ahead for you or for me in 2025, but it is my prayer that each one of us walk mindfully into the New Year. I pray, too, the season of Advent remains in our hearts throughout the coming year, that we keep our eyes on Jesus. “Advent creates people, new people. We too are supposed to become new people in Advent. Look up, you whose gaze is fixed on this earth, who are spellbound by the little events and changes on the face of the earth. Look up to these words, you who have turned away from heaven disappointed. Look up, you whose eyes are heavy with tears and who are heavy and who are crying over the fact that the earth has gracelessly torn us away. Look up, you who, burdened with guilt, cannot lift your eyes. Look up, your redemption is drawing near. Something different from what you see daily will happen. Just be aware, be watchful, wait just another short moment. Wait and something quite new will break over you: God will come” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God is in the Manger, p.40.) God—the God of all creation— holds us in His righteous right hand. Let us turn our eyes to Him and rest in the blessed assurance God always leads His dear children along.

Silent Night, Jingle Bell Rock, Santa Claus or Jesus?

Wooden nativity scene ornaments and decorations displayed at a festive market stall, capturing the warmth and tradition of the holiday season.

Whether ushering in Christmas revolves around a baby in a manger, a man in a red suit, an elf on a shelf, or some other tradition, I imagine most households are, by now, knee deep in holiday preparations and festivities. We are a Silent Night, Jingle Bell Rock, Santa Claus and Jesus culture all rolled into one. Depending on our traditions, our upbringing and our family dynamics, we carry with us into adulthood ideas of what the Christmas holiday experience should be. Looking around us, we see those who are tired to the bone, immersed in the stress an activity-filled calendar brings. They will surely breathe a sigh of relief when all the hustle and bustle of the season ends. Others seem to want to simply get through this time of year. They are all-to-ready for something else. Still there are those who remain tied to their schedules and all the busyness the world offers. Opening their 2025 calendars, they seek to add one or two more things to their already full social calendars.

As for me and this season of the year, I am more the Silent Night person than the Jingle Bell Rock girl. I do like celebrating with family and friends. Seeing and hearing the expressions of joy of those I love any time of the year does more for me than any merriment or festivity a single holiday might bring. I can also do without the stress, the commercialization, the busyness, and the activity-filled calendars the world and those of it bring into our personal spaces this time of year. I understand some thrive on activity not only at Christmas but throughout the calendar year. It seems though when we enter the race to get everything done hoping to complete every task with perfection or at the very least to present it as such on social media we do nothing more than keep ourselves and those around us from Jesus.

When the time arrives to remove the Christmas tree with its perfectly placed decorations, I wonder how many of us have our eyes on Jesus, or do we remove him from our homes and hearts and return to the busyness invading the peacefulness that should be occupying our hearts, our minds, and our souls? Reducing Christmas to something other than it was meant to be minimizes Jesus and the reason God sent His Son and our Savior into the world. It is no wonder the feeling of nothingness haunts so many and the poverty of spirit, which lies in wait, always just under the surface, is so prevalent in the world today. Remove Jesus and there is no hope. Even the real Santa Claus knew that.

From childhood stories to the media and advertising of the twentieth century, Santa Claus arrives in his red suit, big belly, white beard, and a bag full of gifts transported on a sleigh equipped with bells and propelled through the air by flying reindeer. It seems whether we have been good or bad, Santa arrives, nonetheless. He comes each year during the Christmas season, appearing from the folklore of old and differing cultural interpretations the world over. Few realize, or perhaps they have merely forgotten, the Santa Claus of today, the man born out of legends, was an authentic and real man who served God. 

Nicholas was born to wealthy parents, and though they died when he was young, they instilled in the boy a heart for God. His life exemplified the words of Jesus who said, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21, ESV). Doing precisely that, Nicholas used his significant inheritance to help those in need. Persecuted for his Christian beliefs, he was imprisoned and exiled. Undaunted, he remained faithful, always choosing Jesus over the world. It is not difficult to imagine that this Nicholas carried upon his back a bag bursting not only with the material gifts he chose to give to the poor, the helpless, the meek, and the suffering but also the fruit of the Spirit he shared with the world.

The stories of Nicholas abound. One tells of three young women born into poverty who, with no prospects of marriage because their father could not provide a dowry, would be sold into slavery. It is said that because of Nicholas' kind and generous spirit, these women were saved from a life of misery and despair. Having nothing to do with our bank accounts' size, the spirit of poverty touches us all. Misery and despair, be they internal or external, seem commonplace in our world today, and I cannot help but wonder how things might change both at Christmas as well as during the year if we, like Nicholas, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,  bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:12-17).

Although I am merely one solitary voice in a world of many, I am convinced Jesus is not only the reason for the season, but the thrill of hope we all need in our lives. God’s gift to all of us—a baby born in a stable to become His Son crucified, the resurrected Redeemer of this weary world—Jesus, the one who stands with us in the barren, meaningless spaces of our lives filling us "with an indescribable and glorious joy"(1 Peter 1:18-19). 

Merry Christmas! May the peace of Christ and the hope he brings during this miraculous season of the year remain with you all the days of your life.

*Some of what you have read today is taken from the article Santa Claus and Empty I wrote for the online magazine Jesus and Pop Culture in 2020.