Welcome to the His Call Your Coordinates series! 2020 has definitely been a challenging year, hasn’t it? Many of you feel lost right now. You wonder where God is or what your purpose is now that our world looks so wildly different. I can relate!
But our God is always with us. No pandemic can thwart His purpose for our lives. God is placing us at certain sets of coordinates to carry out His call even though our world feels a little wonky right now! Our theme verse, then, for this series comes from Acts 17:26-27b:
From one man, he [God] made every nation of mankind to live over the entire face of the earth. He determined the appointed time and the boundaries where they would live. He did this so they would seek God and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
I pray these words become more precious to you as we meet together throughout this series. It captures two truths that are vital for us to acknowledge whenever we feel lost or purposeless:
1) God has appointed us to live in a very specific time and place, so we are never truly lost.
2) God is never far from us, so we are never truly alone.
I also pray that taking a fresh look at Paul’s missionary travels throughout the book of Acts, along with various interviews I’ve had with some of my fellow author friends, help you have a light bulb moment; enabling you to live out God’s call in your life right from your own coordinates. For God is never far from you! Instead of holding onto the past and continually lamenting what could have been, let’s look to God and where He’s placed us for what we can be doing now.
So let’s get started, shall we? For our final post in this series, we’re off to look at what happened to Paul as he traveled to the coordinates of Antioch of Syria. For this week’s adventure, we’ll meet up with my friend and fellow traveler, Katie M. Reid. I do hope you’ll unpack, sit for a spell, and listen to our recorded interview at the bottom of the page for further inspiration and encouragement before you leave. The rest of your travel itinerary is also listed below for you to reference. Thank you for spending part of your day with us!
His Call:
To faithfully follow God even when we are rejected.
Last week we discussed Paul’s travel coordinates to Malta and Rome, and how he was judged, honored, confined, and faithful through it all. This week we will take a look at Paul’s faithfulness to carry the message to the places God led him, like Antioch, even when he faced rejection because of it.
In what ways have you experienced rejection? Has that rejection deterred you from following God wholeheartedly?
Katie is familiar with rejection in friendships, disappointments with work, and tough seasons of transition. As she shares in our interview, Katie and her husband experienced an unexpected loss of income which led them to an unfamiliar place…that ultimately prepared them for what was to come. Although these experiences were difficult, God used them to develop empathy, resilience, and a closer relationship with Him.
Your Coordinates:
Antioch of Syria 36°12′ N 36°10′ E
In Acts 13-14 we see that Paul experienced rejection yet he kept following God even when he wasn’t treated well. Paul went and preached the gospel to Jews in the synagogue. Almost all of the city turned out to hear him and Barnabas preach. Some of the Jews were jealous and slandered Paul.
“They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their district.’ ~Acts 13:50b
Even when influential leaders stirred up a mob and ran Paul and Barnabas out of town, Paul shook dirt off his feet, as if shaking off their rejection, and kept going.
Because the Jews rejected the Gospel, Paul offered it to the Gentiles who were glad and “all who were chosen for eternal life became believers…the Lord’s message spread” (Acts 13: 48-49).
Paul didn’t let rejection deter him. He continued to faithfully steward the Gospel message and offer it to others. Click To TweetFrom one zip code to another and back again
In our interview today, Katie talks about how a painful vocational rejection was used by God to bring their family to a new set of coordinates.
Rejection that feels like a dead end may actually be a detour. Click To TweetThat rejection felt like a dead end, but it was actually a detour, which proved to be a necessary part of their training in ministry. Katie mentions how “it didn’t work out on paper, but it worked out” because Jesus was faithful even in uncertain times.
During their training, Katie and Adam faced some successes and some shipwrecks, but God helped them keep going, realizing that He was with them on their journey through the wilderness. Through times of pruning, they learned the hard way, when it was time to speak and when it was time to remain silent, through Jesus’ example. They also learned to link arms with their co-laborers and fight for one another instead of against each other.
One of Katie’s favorite verses is, Galatians 6:9, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”
When you keep persevering, even when circumstances are difficult or discouraging, God produces fruit through the call He’s given you, like He did in Paul’s and Katie’s life.
What kind of ministry is God calling you to do? What have you learned from past seasons of rejection? How has that rejection drawn you closer to God?
No matter what type of ministry you have (for all are called, not just writers and speakers) we pray this series has given you the discernment to know what that call is and the courage to walk it out in the middle of the pandemic!
And stay tuned… for I have some HUGE new to share with you about a new call and a new set of coordinates that God has given me during COVID. I can’t wait to share it with you!!!
Thank you for listening and reading along with my guests and me over the past six weeks! Blessings to you at your current coordinates!
“Faithfully steward the moment in front of you and then the next one after that. Moment by moment stewardship will lead to a lifetime of faithfulness.”
~Katie Reid
Guest Bio:
Katie M. Reid is the author of Made Like Martha, a dynamic speaker, and co-host of The Martha & Mary Show podcast and the live marriage show, “Stop! Hammock Time.” As the Inspiration Doula she coaches creatives, helping them bring life to their purpose and projects. Katie lives in the middle of Michigan with her husband and their five (loud and wonderful) kids. To connect with Katie, visit her online home: www.katiemreid.com.
Additional activities for your travel itinerary:
Say “hi” in the comments below and answer one of the following questions to be entered into the “Travel From Home” Giveaway!!! One commenter will be chosen from the six blog posts in the series, and the winner will be announced on July 30th!
What kind of ministry is God calling you to do?
What have you learned from past seasons of rejection? How has that rejection drawn you closer to God?
Who is questioning their call at your current coordinates? Which of the “calls” at the various coordinates we’ve looked at during this series could apply to their life? Which “call” applies to you at your current coordinates?
Lastly, here is a link to a freebie that you can click on and print off for fun! I hope this prayer for your coordinates is a blessing to your heart and to your home:
Tracy Steel: His Call, Your Coordinates PDF
Hi Tracy and Katie! Wow, I really enjoyed the discussion! Each week I have thought it could not get better, yet it has!
What kind of ministry is God calling me to do? This is something that has been on my mind for the last few months. I have been drawn back to writing – spiritual poetry, and looking at how that blessing and desire could play into helping others. I have a strong passion for women who have endured any type of abuse due to my own personal experiences, and I would love to help them to have hope in Jesus. So, praying, and seeing what doors may open.
What has stuck with me most from my past seasons of rejection is that only God is infallible. Humans are not, and cannot be perfect. They will let us down, and may even bring hurt into our lives. We have to realize this and not put so much of our hope in others. Not that we cannot have mentors or great friends, but if we put too much of our hope on a person, if something goes wrong, we may likely take it much harder. We have to have reasonable expectations of others. It is also human imperfection (and the ongoing work of our enemy, Satan) that contributes to the pain and suffering of this world. God does not cause suffering. He may allow us to endure some things for reasons we may not understand at the time, but he takes no delight in our tears. God is good! He works all things for our good. And while this does not guarantee that we will not have any more seasons of rejection, it does mean that He will always direct us to the coordinates of exactly where we need to be during each season of our lives. I have also learned that God does not expect perfection out of us. I loved when Katie talked about being a good steward in each moment. Doing our best, one moment at a time. Does this mean we will never mess up? No! God knows we will mess up. He knows we need mercy and grace every day.
My relationship with God has been so greatly improved by my understanding this. I was so afraid all the time that I was not good enough to even pray for anything! I still struggle at times with feeling unworthy, but I try to focus on the fact that God loves me and is not sitting in Heaven keeping score to determine if I am making the cut or not. Jesus gave his life for me…FOR ME! And I want to do my best to fulfill my purpose (whatever that may be).
Thank you Katie for opening your heart to share your experiences, and thank you Tracy for this amazing, and heart-reaching series!
Thank you for the beautiful prayer for our coordinates Tracy!