Even focusing on things such as the path that God wanted me to take would break my attention away from God. This in itself didn’t catch my attention until I started seeing myself worry about what I was supposed to do, who I was supposed to be, or what I was being made into. I had to realize that those things weren’t for me to control or think about. So many times we worry about where we’re going, who we’re going to marry, where we’re going to work, what kind of ministry we will have, or how we will buy a new car — instead of focusing on Jesus. That’s what this article is truly about: Jesus becoming our main focus. Why do we constantly worry about who we’re going to be with for the rest of our lives when Jesus is making us into who we need to be for the rest of our lives? Why do we worry about our job when God is molding us into a better worker?

When Jesus becomes the very center of our lives, everything else can fall into place because we’re not trying to doing it in our own power. And why would we try to do these things in our own power? When we try to do that we just mess things up.

I believe that Jesus will become the center of our lives when we can be fully stripped of all our “strengths” hopes and desires. So many times people tell us to “be strong” or “toughen up,” when Jesus really wants us to become broken before Him. When we become broken before Him we become pliable. And what better time for God to mold our lives into the way that he wants us to be than at that time? To let Jesus become the center of our lives we first need to become broken. At that time we lay every fear, every doubt, and every dream down at His feet. At that point we are showing God “we trust you with everything in our lives and we’re not going to worry about any of it because it’s all in your hands”. That is perfect trust, and I guarantee that is when you will see your life unfold.

So stop worrying about your life. Stop letting “that special someone,” where you will work, or who you are becoming be the center of your life and try and let God become the very center. Who better to revolve your world around? He’s God. And I know He is able to take care of you. Let God be God.

Sound familiar? What would happen if Monday mornings weren’t like that? What if we treated every morning as what it is: a gift from God? What do you expect every day when you get up, when you go to work or school, and when you interact with those around you? Do you expect great things, or do you expect the ordinary and mediocre? Do you have faith that even if the day is horrible, God is still good and in control?

The story of Ruth is too often overlooked as carnal or unimportant. But if we take a closer look at Ruth’s life, we see that Ruth was not an average woman. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, was an Israelite widow. Her sons had taken Moabite wives, Orpah and Ruth, but ten years later these women were widowed as well. Naomi began the journey to her home country with Orpah and Ruth, but she reasoned with her daughters-in-law to return to the houses of their mothers and find husbands again. Orpah was convinced to return home, but the Bible says Ruth “clave unto [Naomi].”

“And she said, Behold, they sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God:”  – Ruth 1:15-16

The remaining chapters of Ruth show that she was obedient to all of Naomi’s instructions. She went out and worked to provide for Naomi and herself. It would have been easy for Ruth just to go home to her house where she would have been treated well, but she stayed with Naomi. Even in the midst of adversity, Ruth expected great things of the Lord. She had no reason to stay with Naomi after the death of her husband. She had no reason to go to a new land where she would not be honored as a foreigner. Ruth didn’t have much; she could have whined and complained about the responsibility. But she expected great things of God. She continued to press through, to work diligently, and to remain obedient and respectful to Naomi. Webster’s dictionary defines expectant as: “being marked with expectation.” All who saw her knew that she was a “virtuous woman.” Ruth did more than just act the part. She was identified as a virtuous woman.

“And we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose,”  – Romans 8:28

Sometimes it is hard to remain optimistic in hard times, or to stand up for yourself when people question your faith. But if you pray for faith, God will not only give you faith, but also the opportunity to exercise it. One way to do that is to expect great things of God. That doesn’t mean that everything will happen the way we think it should; Ruth must have been devastated when she lost her husband, but God had a greater plan. Later in the book, she marries a man named Boaz, a kinsman of Naomi’s family, and eventually carries the line of David and Jesus. If she hadn’t trusted in God, she wouldn’t have married Boaz or been the great-grandmother of King David. If you think about your life, do you waste your energy worrying about things you can’t control, or do you use that effort believing that God can pull through?

God is ready to do great things in all of our lives. Do you believe and expect that He will?