Redefining Purpose & What I Live For

A Love No One Will Know Without Accepting Jesus as their Saviour! 

As I write this I am thinking about my life, just graduated from college, looking for a job, it's given me some free time to ponder what life is about.  Rethink what I am doing with my life, etc.

Well one thing is my story, at a young age of 5, I gave my heart, GOT SAVED, whatever you want to call it.  What does that mean?  I gave my life, my heart, my soul to God, meaning I gave my life away to entrust it with the Creator of it all.  I believe, have a faith like no other, in Jesus, the son of God, that He died for my sins, and even though I can't see God, I have seen Him through my life, come through, prayer, through worship, through life's circumstances.  I am acknowledging as I did this back when I was 5, that I am a sinner, I am compelled to do bad things, to stray away from what will send me into destruction.  Well how do I know that at 5, I saw it through my father, I saw it through the destruction in my family.  So I at a young age, decided to go for something different.  It's crazy to think how smart you can be at 5 years old.

So since then I went through the baptizing, speaking in tongues, going to church every Sunday and Wednesday, going to conventions, camps, conferences, youth group, Missionettes, Sunday School, small groups, etc.  I've been in church my entire life!  But throughout that time, I believed in God, but was I awakened as a believer, I don't know.  Until I came up to a few rough spots in my life where I had to cut off a friendship, or two, and go through some painful moments in high school, that brought me to relent to God fully and He understood me, He also gave me a great mentor along the way!

So then that leaves me Senior Year of High School, was going to stay home, do what everyone at my high school usually did, go to community college, hang around the same places, but realize I had some hard friendship things over those 4 years, so I wanted to start a new.  So December, I pray, seek God, for the first time, I'm telling God I'll go wherever, just get me OUT OF HERE! LOL!

So funny story is, I never had the best GPA, I am smart, but I'm no overachiever.  So I applied to a Chicago State School and got rejected at the same time I was visiting the private Assemblies of God (Christian) University in Minneapolis, MN.  Well obviously it hurt to get rejected by a school.  But I found out the Monday after that Friday, that I got accepted to North Central University.

So funny thing is I knew one person there, who ended up leaving the school my first semester!  So I was there, new, knew no body.  None of my family is in Minnesota!  So I ended up fully giving my life to Christ, going to the Chapel most every day.  Hearing wisdom from tons of speakers, even as I sit here, I'm listening to a chapel service online.

So I grew with God so much, with education, financial, and relational aspects, there were trying times.  I got to really see God's heart in college, even to the point where I invested in the school as a leader and knew a lot of people, and invested into a lot of relationships.  To where my last year I got to shine God's light in the city with homeless individuals I served in my internship and working at the downtown Target.

To now, where I've come home, my childhood home, where things have remained the same for the most part, to where I have changed a lot and it didn't set in till' I stayed through the summer.  I have been faced with the past, or things that have been on pause, hidden, or not shown.  Family issues I had been out of because I would only see these people every break, holiday, etc.  So now I am faced with issues I hadn't solved, where I had to set healthy boundaries.  It's been great.

Not to mention, I am here in this season where every summer I worked hard core, like 60 hours a week then did 2 ministries, and volunteered, to where everything winds down and now I'm left with a weekend job, Friday-Sunday, and my ministries are paused or done till' next summer.  I've been going a little stir crazy!

But back to the point, my purpose is to be in love with God, to be loved by Him, and to share that love with others.  It's not in doing things, it's not in working! It's in being in love with my God and finding every piece of my identity in Him..

Meaning... My entire life is in His hands...
My financial status
My family
My friends
My church
My job
My purpose
My dreams
My life
My everything

And that's what it means to be saved, to live life with a kingdom focus, it's not on worldly possessions, it's not on popularity, it's about the end nearing and our mission is to get people to know the love of God!

Because until you or I knew God's love, we never really understood love, we saw it portrayed on tv, in love stories, in books, in broken relationships, whatever you may have seen, but true love can be portrayed in a marriage, but if you haven't seen that, God's love shows us true love, true love, it beckons deeply, it accepts you as you are, it challenges you, it accepts you at all moments, it wants you even in the hard times, it calls for respect, action, and it loves you wholeheartedly.  Man, this love is great, and I'm so happy to have this free time now to bask in God's presence, He has shown me things.

Don't get me wrong, I'm applying for jobs, I'm searching, volunteering in my church, working on developing a ministry with my Pastor's wife Lori, cause I may not be doing a ton or have a full time job right now, but God made me to be a doer, but I have taken a week or so of rest, but then yeah... LOL!

Just remember this remember that God loves you and I so much He saved us with His Son, if we believe and have faith we will be having eternal life and true love in a God who loves us so much :D

So redefining what I live for:
I live for Jesus Christ who saved me, and changed my life!
I live to strive for what is best, nothing less!
I live to save the world, being that the end days may or may not be near, I live for the kingdom, not mere worldy pleasure.
I live to strive high to set an example, to be a light unto others and be a leader among men and women!
I live to wait for marriage and wait for the right person God will bring into my life!
I live to do what is right in the eyes of God, not man, even if they don't understand.
I live to help others, and spread the love of Christ, to all, no matter what you are doing, we are all sinners, and I was saved so I'd love to share that with you as well.
I live to love, be loved, and spread God's name in a new manner, repainting God and Jesus to the world, because that is the purpose I was set here to do, material things gonna fade, but eternal life, Christ will forever reign : )

Also random story is this week I had a very low amount in my bank and was stretching a tiny bit of funds, and so I was not struggling, more like whew, gotta chill out on buying anything this week.  Today as I rearranged and cleaned a room in my house and found a check from my insurance company!  God is faithful, seriously!  God is faithful, don't forget it :D

Even God Rested

I have to laugh as this last week has been one of the hardest weeks.  It is the second week of me not having to work during the week since Six Flags is only open on the weekends.  I started going stir crazy on MONDAY. The first day of the week.  See I am a doer.  So this summer I had 2 ministries, plus another, plus work, and yeah my life was busy.  Now not only have I not gone back to school, but I don't have a group of friends I hang out with, I am working just on weekends, and my ministries are on a break.  Haha!
Needless...
to say, I'm going a little crazy.

But as I read an artist's status "Jaeson Ma" yesterday that made me realize something.

"You are in a time of transitioning into a new season, and the enemy is bringing a storm of confusion to get you to believe that you are going the wrong direction. You need to stay cool, calm and collected. Be quiet and do nothing apart from My leading, says the Lord. I am releasing a particular anointing to rest and wait for the moving of My Spirit."

Hebrews 4:9-10 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

- Marsha Burns

God rested, haha biggest point!  As I laughed at myself I thought, yes, I get so busy at points I don't rest, I just keep going.  But God wants us to rest in Him.  My purpose is not in doing my ministries, my work, my stuff, but in God's call, in the end if all I have is God am I ok with that?  Haha well as of this week, I've been searching that.  I thought of it and laughed, God thanks for the rest, but I don't need it, I'm ready to go do something.  

But as I've done a lot this summer it is wonderful to have time to reflect and give everything to God, search what He has to say about everything and yet again surrender it to Him.  

I think at this place I am at, the job hunting, the unknown, the financial aspects, the friendships that are not in my life, etc.  I'm
              FREAKING OUT!!!

But here is this part where I am coming to and that is God is my whole life, my forever, today, yesterday and future! 

It's the freedom.  Knowing that my Father in heaven has the plan for me and He knows it.  So I have to trust, rest, and believe and remember He has me, my life, my friends, my family, my adventure, it's ready to go.  I have to be patient, wait, be faithful, and love Him, and He will bless me :) 

So in the meantime I am starting a photography business and writing music as a solo artist.  I'm using this time to enjoy life, and do things for God and trust in Him, but not to drive myself insane.  

God understands me, my personality.  He made me this way.  Haha! It's humorous.  

But I love God and He is testing me, and testing is ...testing! LOL!

I am trusting, I have started attending a young adult group, praying more, figuring out my life, which in the end always turns to returning it to God.  

It's a crazy time because I'm ready for the next adventure, I'm ready to move out of my childhood home, I'm ready to make money, live on my own, move back to the city, I mean is that so much to ask? LOL! But I have to be patient and wait on God and He will be faithful, and He knows exactly where He wants me, and I'm going to stay true to what HE's made me so far and will continue to make me into.  

I am Heather Cheryl Craig.
I love God.
I love coffee.
I love photography. 
I love music. 
I love friends.
I love meeting new people.
I love family.
I love my sisters.
I love adventure.
I LOVE MYSTERY 
(IRONIC with God's mystery He has me in right now) 
I love positive. 
I love trying new things.
I love living without control of my life because human control is nothing and has no power compared to a wonderful God who has you in the palm of His hand. 

I'll give ya'll an update next week ;) 

The Journey: Finding God in Every Season

Well here we go, the next chapter.  I recently graduated from North Central University with my Bachelors in Social Work and Minor in Biblical Studies.  4 years of my life dedicated to what God called me to.  Here I am now, Supervisor at my summer job at Six Flags, been there five years.  I am job hunting for social work jobs but it is  a hard time, and ya'll college graduates know what I'm talking about.  I finally got an interview, but not the right job.  God uses these times to test us, to see if we really fully rely on Him.

Well now it's rediscovering what being saved means and what God wants me to do.  I have not been doing nothing.  I've been doing a ministry called Undone, where we do worship nights out in the burbs' of Chicago and we invite all ages to attend.  God spoke at those events and it is so cool to see God develop my vision into a ministry that is growing.

I invest in my work relationships.  My ministry is wherever I go, I invite people to the outreach from my work.  The thing is I know God called me to love people, and to share with people the true love that He showed me.  We all have a duty to share and invest where we have a window, and God will direct you.  The thing is we want everyone to have the choice and know the true love of God.  In the end that is what my life is about.

I have ambition in my career and I am currently applying for jobs, but I know this life is temporary, and so I live for what God might have me do in this moment.

In the moment where I'm living in my childhood home, working in the same summer job, what might God be saying.  You aren't done here yet? Well that's not what I expected, ha, I told God send me wherever, but did I really mean that?

Did it mean to deal with the many family issues at home and figure out how to be the love in the midst of chaos.  Did it mean risking everything to stand for what is right, even if it means ending a relationship I've held onto for 22 years.

God asks us to do hard things, step out, get out of the comfort zone.  I am telling you this summer has been hard because I'm surrounded by people, including myself at points who stay in the comfort zone, but after breaking out of that, I never want to go back.

I don't want to be silent about God, loving Jesus, not a religion, a relationship with a direction called The Bible.

I crave wisdom and seeking it out through every circumstance.

I don't want to settle for what is less but God's call for my life in relationships, friendships, family, jobs, money, everything.

I don't want to let the things of this world control me, but let those go and be led by a God who can handle that in a way that is beneficial.

And here I am now, worshiping God, praising Him for giving me this life to live, because really if I didn't have Him, there's no purpose, I live to die, but He gives me a love.  Any human love you have experienced or see in those movies HAS NO comparison to love of God.

Being saved means a lot to me, it's what changed me, as a child, broken, my dad never present in my life, He became my father, with family dysfunction, the church became my family, because we are working to live for God and fight as a family, a team, not living for individualistic societal goals.  The thing is He made me into something, I wouldn't be the strong woman of God I am today without Him, leading worship would not be a part of my life, loving to help people, etc.  He made me into someone I could never be without Him.  I seek to be more and more like my God every day.  Not by being legalistic, but by seeking wisdom in the bible, praying and having a everyday relationship with God, being led by the Holy Spirit, when I gave my life to God when I was 4 years old, it took to now being where I am at with Christ.

Jesus died, for me, He gave me a chance to live for real.  I cannot waste that.  I have a love people crave in our society, but they seek temporary fixes in clubs, in relationships they settle for, in abusive friendships, relationships, in drinking, in drugs, in whatever they might feel like they are better with.  The thing is true wisdom from God brings true happiness and true love makes us whole.

That is my walk, I used to want to control things, but I have a God who I love who I give it all for, I give my life, my family, my friends, my relationships, my ministry, my degree, my money, my school.

Now it is time to use my ambition for the Lord and run after it with all I have.  As a 22 year old, this is my call, to seek God, listen for His voice, seek wisdom not what I selfishly desire, or my flesh cries out for, it is seeking the best and God's best, and that means disregarding what temptation might come.

So for now, this is my reflection on my life, until next time, we'll see where God takes me next :D