Our Choices – Our Capacity (by Pastor Chrystal)

Our choices – our capacity (Preparing for the Next Steps)

This past Sunday’s message from Pastor David challenged us to evaluate how prepared we are for the next steps in our lives. He helped us explore our capacity to handle the responsibility ahead. He encouraged us to be honest with ourselves to see if we have trained for the hurdles we may face.

Scripture 2 Kings 4:1-7 reveals the consequences of our choices and tells us our capacity to handle things. 2 Kings 4:1-7 shares the story of a woman who would receive a tremendous gift. But before receiving the gift, she had a few tasks to do. Regrettably, she could not finish her tasks before the gift arrived, and because of this, she missed out. She could not handle all aspects of the gift because of a lack of being completely prepared for the next steps.   

I was a mother at a very young age, and I often heard people say hurtful comments like “a baby having a baby” or “a baby raising a baby,” which used to bother me. I felt like I was mature. I thought I could handle the care and love needed to raise this little life. Looking back, what they were saying was that perhaps I was not prepared to handle the enormous responsibilities ahead of me. In hindsight, I was not prepared for the massive task of being a teen mom.

I often figured things out along the way, and many sacrifices came with my choices. I was very mature and took care of my child, but I was not entirely prepared because I didn’t learn all I needed to know as a young person before becoming a mother. There were many tears, mistakes, and rapid learning for the first few years. I often wish I would have been given the rule book on parenting. Without having a playbook most times, we are guessing how to navigate the next steps of our lives.

However, with God, He never leaves us or forsakes us in all that we do. I became a good mother after finding Christ and that ‘playbook’ I wish I had many years before, God provided it to me and to you.

Now we don’t have to go without it unless we choose to ignore the advice God gives us.

Taking the time to train, study and be prepared for the next steps of your life will benefit you and those around you significantly. No matter where you are in your life today, you can choose to change tomorrow by taking one step closer to God and allowing Him to show you the way. He has great plans for us all, and He is just lovingly waiting on us.