Before I begin talking about the topic for this week, I am going to address that "blog night" has no official night anymore. From now on, I will still be posting once a week; it will just when I feel led to post. This takes pressure off of me to find a topic by Monday, and it will allow me to relax and just let the Spirit lead because He is not on a set schedule. Now, blog time!
Some of you may be wondering why a seventeen year old is trying to tell you how to find your purpose. That is valid, but I am here to tell you that God does not see age as a restriction. He will use the young, old, and in between all the same.
I have been blogging since September, but I have been writing for much longer than that. The Lord has provided me with many different opportunities to do work for Him, but I feel my primary calling is putting pen to paper (or in this case fingers to keyboard) and telling people about the good news of Jesus Christ, whether it be through blogging, poetry, short stories, a book (hopefully someday), or just simply writing my thoughts.
As many of you know from reading about my testimony, I accepted Christ at ten years old. Ironically, my earliest memory of feeling like I was supposed to be a writer was a few months before I got saved. It is crazy to think about. I found my talent, and then just a few months later, I found Who I would use that talent for.
In fourth grade and fifth grade, we had a silent writing time everyday for the first fifteen minutes of class. It was my favorite part of the day. I actually remember in fifth grade during that time writing about getting saved and telling my entire testimony of how Jesus brought me from death to life. Before this happened though, my teacher took note of my writing ability and asked me to write a book. My eyes got wide until she explained. There was a young author's conference in Pigeon Forge, and she got to pick one of her students to attend. That student was me, and I would have to write and illustrate a children's book. (Random note: It was about my cat haha).
I remember going to the conference clear as day. I remember walking in and thinking, "I want to do this for the rest of my life." At that point in my life though, I was not sure what would inspire me enough to write about for that long because I did not know Jesus. When I met Him, it all made sense. I remember writing out my testimony in our silent writing time and feeling like I had not even scratched the surface of who God was. I had written what at the time seemed like a lot, and there was still so much more left to say about Him.
Years went by of teachers telling me I had a gift, my classmates getting jealous of my grades in English class, and me thinking this was just some small hobby that I did on my own but really enjoyed. It is almost funny to me now because I wrote consistently for seven years before I actually realized it was my calling. See, it had always been my dream, but for some reason, I didn't think that your dream and calling could be the same thing. He eventually revealed to me that your "dream" and "calling" are not so different after all. That is what is so cool about our God. Yes, He wants us to glorify Him, but He also wants us to enjoy doing it. Your dream was placed in your heart for a reason, so seek it out!
When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would sigh, "Well, I'd like to be a writer someday, but it is a one in a million chance." Then one day, I felt led to post an Instagram post about what God had been doing in my life. It got a lot of responses from my followers about how it was exactly what they needed to hear. People thanked me for being obedient and writing about Jesus. It was like God spoke to my heart. "Leslie, you are a writer now. Today. What makes a writer is when I give someone that gift and they use it." I was using it everyday: I just needed to share it.
That is when I started the blog. I knew I needed to start using the gift I was given to bring honor and glory to God. I am living out my calling now, and if God chooses to give me more of a platform, I will use it for Him. If "L. Jessie" stays the way it is now, I will be content and continue sharing the Gospel on my little, pineapple wallpaper blog.
If you feel like you do not have a purpose, that could not be any more false. You have a God given gift (maybe more than one) that you need to share with the world in His Name. You would be surprised what He can use when you allow Him to. I would suggest starting out by examining your dream(s), then see if your calling has actually been in your heart the entire time.
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began" 2 Timothy 1:9 KJV
"Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you." John 15:16 KJV
"Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." Jeremiah 1:5 KJV
