"Thank you for always encouraging me to be myself and thanks for never trying to quiet me. Being small was never an option. You raised me to be great, to be brave, to stand up, to be extraordinary. So, because of that, I have no doubt that I'll succeed and I can thank y'all for that. I love you so much." Another treasure I found from four years ago! This is from my daughter who was moving 3000 miles away for graduate school.
As I read this letter I thought about how we are all raised to be great, brave, to stand up and to be extraordinary. Jesus' desire is that we will all be great. Not us, on our own being great but being great in God eyes, doing His will. Mark 5: 19, "However, Jesus did not permit him, but said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.” To be great is to be humble and be a servant. It is understanding that we are a child of God and we are only great through Him! James 1: 17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above."
When I think of bravery or courage I think of a quote. "A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for” by John A. Shedd. We are also not built to stay safe and comfortable. There are times that I just want to stay safe and comfortable. Thankfully, through the years, I have learned that some of the things that I step out on faith to do, have been the biggest blessings. That is how God teaches us! Deuteronomy 31; 6, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." The more we step out in faith the more we trust that God is with us. When we stand for what is right, God is with us. When we are under attack, God is standing with us. Psalm 59: 10, "In his unfailing love, my God will stand with me.” (NLT)
Finally, God raises us to be extraordinary! Daniel 6: 3, "Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom." Being extraordinary is about living with integrity, humility, gratefulness and morality. Your uniqueness makes you extraordinary. Your spiritual gifts and your passion to use them makes you extraordinary. We serve a big God who can do extraordinary things through us.
God raises His children to be great, to be brave, to stand up and to be extraordinary! Because of that we know we will succeed and leave a legacy.
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