Her Name Means Wild

As 2017 has just started and here I am already looking at what this year may look like, unexpected dreams come to mind.  Tucked away somewhere in my heart are little desires that I longed would be a part of who I was, but never attempted to be.  How quickly I bite my tongue.  It was just a few weeks ago when I was asked why I didn’t become a writer, my reply would be “because I can’t make a living as a writer”.  But throughout these past few weeks my desires resurfaced.
Most of you know I am a pediatric intensive care nurse. I absolutely love caring for children.  But that’s not all, under the surface there is more to me than just a nurse.  Anyone can be a nurse.  And you, you are not defined by your job or title nor are you defined by what you did or didn’t do.  I am more than that and so are you.
If you place your identity in a title, at some point you may feel worn out.  The truth is, we can rest knowing that being a child of God is enough.  We no longer have to strive to be the best or compete with others.  Looking back at the book of Ecclesiastes, King Solomon says that everything under the sun is meaningless.  We can’t take our degrees to heaven, we can’t take our money or our possessions, and we can’t take our success or our failures.  But we take one thing with us-and that is our soul.  Apart from God, everything is meaningless.
I don’t want my identity to be in my job, in my title or my past.  My identity is in Jesus and because of what He did for me by dying on the cross I am able to live freely for him.  I want to live boldly.  And I’m not sure what that looks like or where it will lead me, but I know God will take me where I need to get to.
I think God places different desires or dreams in your heart.  At the same time He calls you to your vocation.  We probably won’t become famous or make it into a history book.  Nope.  Instead, people will remember you by your heart and the difference you made in their lives.  People will remember me by whether I was a loving nurse or a grouchy nurse.  Whatever you do, do it with all your heart.  And do everything you want to do.  Be everything you want to be.  Life is short.  But do it all for God. In everything, display God’s love.    He places all those tiny desires and dreams in your heart to fulfill his purpose for you.
So I made a list of things I always wanted to pursue but never did.  And as I pray over them, my hopes are that God will use them for His glory and that I will live boldly.
And with that, I welcome all my new adventures that are just around the corner.

I would love to hear all about the adventures God has placed on your hearts, email me at hernamemeanswild@gmail.com