Your Own Soil

Seven years ago I was commuting into work at a job that was a terrible fit; I was driving hours each way for daycare drop-offs that made me think amputating a limb might have been easier and more appealing. Meanwhile, friends around me were signing book deals and launching conferences. Me? I just tried to make it home in time for the last pickup at preschool.

There was a day I arrived at work that is printed on my memory. I can remember exactly the clear thought that dropped into my mind: There’s enough work in the kingdom for everyone.

What she’s doing, what they’re hosting, what your Instagram and Facebook friends are experiencing—that’s their piece of the kingdom. That’s their plot of land and they’re supposed to be working it faithfully. But you? You have your own spot in the kingdom garden. You have your own soil waiting for seeds and seasons and harvest.

What God gives you, he gives you on purpose. This season in your life is not an accident. You haven’t missed the boat. As Paul wrote, “I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns” (Phil. 1:6 NLT). In the meantime, we have to get up on Mondays and get into our cars, take care of our responsibilities, change the laundry, show up for parent-teacher conferences and work evaluations, and figure out how to live without wishing we were living “like her.” All of that begins to make sense when we remember that no part of our lives is an accident.

Lisa-Jo Baker is the bestselling author of Never Unfriended and the community manager for (in)courage. Connect with her at @lisajobaker. Portions of these devotions have been excerpted or adapted from Never Unfriended: The Secret to Finding and Keeping Lasting Friendship © Lisa-Jo Baker (B&H Publishing Group, 2017). Used by permission, all rights reserved. www.neverunfriended.com.