Chosen Grace

Hello wonderful people! I hope all is treating you well. Today’s post is about where you and I are in life- and I hope you find some encouragement! 

Aesop’s Fables are well known around the world. The Greek storyteller composed many stories, but the one that sticks out to me the most is The Tortoise and the Hare. In the legendary fable, the tortoise and the hare have a race. The tortoise, being slow and thoughtful, took his time as he journeyed along the path. The hare, on the other hand, thought he was big and bad, so he hopped around the tortoise and even took a nap while he was supposed to be racing. And when he woke up, the tortoise had won- leaving him in despair.

Today’s society is like the fable of the tortoise and the hare. Everything is fast-paced. Most times it seems like everything is moving at the speed of light. Even now, as we endure COVID-19, the pressure to pick up a hobby or develop a new skill is intense and everywhere.

And to be honest, I’ve fallen into the let-me-have-it-all-together mindset. Sometimes as I look on social media and see how happy people may seem- it makes me wonder if I’m doing enough in my own life. It sometimes seems like everyone has something that I’m trying to achieve. I sometimes think that the grass is greener on the other side.

As I began to feel this way, I was reading my Bible in Psalms and God began to reveal unto me his truth, which is found in the verse below.

Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
    you make my lot secure.  The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. –Psalm 16:5-6 NIV

You see, King David wrote Psalm 16, and he claimed that God alone is his portion and his cup.  Just as he did that, we too can do the same thing. By acknowledging God as our portion, we then are telling Him that no matter what- we trust Him. And trusting God is important because trust produces faith, and without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

When we acknowledge God as our portion, we also accept that God has placed boundary lines for us (verse 6). This means that God has already planned out all things for us. Because he has planned out things for us, he knows what path we must take. And because He knows our footsteps we can trust that our inheritance is bountiful and good, because God only wants good for us. 

As I kept reading Psalm 16, the last verse really stuck out to me. Let’s check it out:

You make known to me the path of life you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand. –Psalm 16:11

On your journey, as you keep trusting and believing in God- He will reveal to you the path of life. This means that even if you don’t know what step you should take next, He will very purposefully and carefully guide you. Not only that, but He will walk with you, revealing the beauty of the path as you travel along with it- not rushing anything.

As this post draws to a close, I encourage everyone to be the tortoise- and not the hare. Hare’s hop around constantly, trying to catch up with things that they wish they had. Tortoises take their time and understand that when it’s time- they will reach their goal.

I choose to believe that the tortoise took his time because he knew that his Creator would carry him. And just like the tortoise knew his Creator, I encourage you reading this to trust in yours. As long as you keep God as your portion and allow Him to order your steps, you will always win.

Even if it seems like others are moving ahead of you, trust your process. For your path is ordained by God, unique only to you. Trust God for whatever race you are running, for the end is surely closer than you think.

But more importantly, understand that slow and steady wins the race. 

With love and steadiness,

Malaysia

P.S: I encourage you all to read Psalm 16. It’s only eleven verses, but it is full of some good wisdom.