When God Simply Says, "Remain."

A quiet reminder that purpose was never meant to be carried alone.

As I've been writing about purpose this month, I've realized God hasn't only been shaping the words on the page.

He's been quietly shaping my heart too.

Continually bringing me back to the simple joy of wanting to help.

Deeper into the reason I began.

And as I've been writing about returning to purpose, God has quietly been returning me to Himself.

Quietly asking me,

"Are you still walking where I've invited you to walk?

And are you walking the way I've invited you to walk?"

Because sometimes…it's hard to notice in the everyday.

In the ordinary moments.

In the in-between.

Because in-between the work of building and the reality of living,

sometimes it can become easy to think that something He gave us is ours to carry,

and ours alone.

And it's then that purpose can begin to feel heavy.

But purpose was never meant for us to carry.

It was meant to be walked out.

And we were never meant to walk it alone.

Never apart from the One who gave it.

What God calls us to doesn’t change.

But how He invites us to walk it out in this season may look different than last year.

Last month.

Even yesterday.

The vision is often bigger than our strength.

Our understanding.

Our ability to see what's ahead.

But that's never been the invitation.

The invitation has always been to stay close to the One who already sees it all.

The One who gave us the vision in the first place.

The One that placed the desire in our hearts to help people.

To build.

Because when we lose sight of Him,

we eventually lose sight of what matters most.

But as we remain in Him, we remain connected to what matters most.

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15: 4 - 5 NIV

So, God help me to remain…

Remain connected to you as I keep walking this out.

As I return and keep returning to that place

the one You've quietly formed within me,

the place that remembers why I began,

and reminds me to keep beginning with You...

…that the safest place for purpose has always been in the hands of the One who gave it.

Help me remember that my first calling is simply to You.

To stay with You.

To remain.

That before I'm called to build anything...

I'm first called to remain with the One who asked me to build it.

Even when the work feels heavy.

When life asks more of me than I feel I have to give.

When my energy is waning.

When the joy feels quieter than it once did.

And help me to stay close.

Not only to the work you’ve placed before me.

But to You.

That’s my prayer for me.

And for you.

---

Take a Moment

If this resonated, take a quiet moment with God and let Him meet you in it.

And if you know a purpose-driven builder who will be encouraged by this, share this post with them using the icons below. 💜

And one last thing...

As I've been walking through this month, one song has quietly stayed with me.

A song my father-in-love recently finished writing that he began nearly eighteen years ago.

Listening to I Remember When has reminded me that God is patient with our seasons, our healing, and our returning as we walk out what He’s called us to, in our journey with Him.

If this month's conversation has met you where you are, perhaps it will encourage you too.