The Next Five Years

“What’s your goal? Your game plan? Where do you want to see yourself in the next five years?”

I used to hate these questions. Up until I started having babies, that was the constant wonder. “Janelle, what are you going to do with your life?” Guys, I don’t know. Something, I’m sure. And then babies started arriving, and it becomes assumed what I will be doing with my life:  parenting. Really, one of the greatest things I could ever do, and something I will do with utmost purpose.

But today, in the midst of our daily routine of eating breakfast, watching Curious George, drinking coffee, diving into the Word, talking about Bob the Builder, tickle fights…I want to dive a little deeper & be a little braver. Our home has become a multitude of things in the past few weeks, and although the days continue to challenge us, not always bringing out the best in us, I hear over & over, “Press into Jesus.” For a while, I thought it was just something stuck in my head, something to fill the silence my mind was going for, and nothing more. Until I found myself trying to exude energy off of the fumes that was left did I realize…that was God. A deep reminder. A prompting. Do this now, before you lose the energy to do so.

Our season of life today is different from others. I can’t just blabber on & on about what we deal with without tracing back to the roots. And especially today, in the midst of my chaos, in the grasping for strings, in the hopes that fumes of energy would be enough to push me forward, let’s press into Jesus. Not just a feeble attempt of opening our Bible, reading a chapter, praying for a few important individuals, and moving on with the day. But pressing into grace, going beyond our routine of routine & chasing after Jesus. I have this mentality that He will always be chasing after me because I am a wild human, not always tame, and constantly wandering. But He is near! Even when I am far away, He is near. Press into Him. Push into His grace. Let Him consume you a little more than He ever has. And dig even deeper. Plant yourself in His grace and be confident within it.

I am not perfect today, and I have found that lately, I am a wanderer. But I hear it still, deep in my being, “Press into Jesus.”

What’s my goal? My game plan? Where do I want to be in five years? It doesn’t really matter. I just want Jesus. Lots & lots of grace-filled days. And maybe a good coffee. Yeah, definitely a good coffee.