One of my favorite verses in Scripture comes from the book of Jeremiah, and no, it isn’t Jeremiah 29:11 – though that is certainly a good one! It is Jeremiah 6:16: “This is what the LORD says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (NIV).

Seek. Ask. Walk. Rest.

This cycle is evident in changing of seasons, the slow and steady changing of the guard from one generation to the next, and in the minutia of our daily lives.

Seek. Ask. Walk. Rest. Repeat.

Seems simple enough, right? But do you ever feel like you are trying to manage doing all of those steps at once? That’s okay. Me too. Even when I am resting, I am still seeking and asking. That’s why I resonate with this verse so much. Life is full of decisions. Not all of them constitute a crossroads. Many of them we take for granted, more or less unaware of the fact that we are even making choices. Crossroads, however, are those BIG decisions, those life-altering ones. Regardless of what you choose to do, there is no such thing as “going back”. Life will be different, even if you decide to back-track.

I was sitting at a crossroads seeking and asking when the phone rang last month and I knew that it was time to get up and walk in obedience, following the Call the Lord has placed on my heart and life. Perhaps what will follow next is a season of rest? I believe so. One can rest while being active, you know? I can work all day in my garden and call it a day of rest because doing so refreshes my soul. So yes, I believe that I am entering into a phase of life-giving, soul-nourishing, rest – during which I expect to be rather productive – and I am blessed beyond my ability to articulate to know that I get to begin this time with all of you!

Yes, I am a mother of four (girl, boy, boy, girl – 22, 20, 18, 16); yes, I am a university student; yes, I am a pastor… But more importantly, I am a child of God who has been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ and I am a member of His body. And after a season of standing at the crossroads seeking Him and asking for direction, He has opened the door for me to serve in the same town in which I was born.

I am looking forward to every step of our journey together.

Pastor Lizabeth