Woman of Devotion: Live for Christ

He has created all things, including me, for His glory.  And He works everything together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).  So when, by His grace, I identify pride, or self-pity, or any other self-focused characteristic showing up in my thoughts, attitudes, or actions, I am able to truly desire to change, to ask for the Lord’s forgiveness for seeking my own glory, and to ask the Holy Spirit to change me in that moment and going forward.

Carol McCormick currently lives in Minneapolis with her husband.  They have two grown sons and one granddaughter.  She is a retired corporate executive and serves as a biblical counselor through her church.  Carol also enjoys singing and playing music, learning foreign languages, and biking, walking or just being out in nature.

 

Please share a little about yourself, your family, and your faith. 

I have been married for almost 37 years and have two grown boys, one daughter-in-law, and one sweet 6-year-old granddaughter.  I am a retired corporate executive and currently spend a great deal of time as a biblical counselor through the counseling ministry at my church.  I am also involved in various roles with some bible study groups.  I enjoy singing and playing music, studying foreign languages, and being outdoors.  I gave my life to Christ in 6th grade and He has been faithful to guide my life and to slowly change me to become more like Him over the course of many years.  I am a work still in progress and I am comforted by the Lord’s promise that He delivered to us through Paul when He said in Philippians 1:6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

What role has Jesus Christ played in your life?

Jesus saved me from the wrath I deserve, covered me with His righteousness, has given me abundant life amid a fallen world full of pain and suffering, and has reserved a place for me in His mansion in glory (Romans 1:18; 6:23; 1 Tim 1:15; John 14:1-4).  When He called me to Himself, He changed the course of my life completely.

How has your faith shaped you into the person you are today? 

Someone recently asked me if I am the same person I was in high school.  My automatic answer was yes.  As I reflected on it further, I realized that, while I feel the same inside in many ways, in fact I have changed significantly.  I went to church my whole life, but even after I accepted Jesus as my Savior and Lord I didn’t always live as though Jesus was my Lord, or as though my life’s purpose was to glorify God.  It has been a very gradual process of letting go of expectations for what my life should look like based on ideas coming from our culture. Now, having recently entered my “autumn” years, I can say that I truly desire to live Soli Deo Gloria –giving all glory to God alone.  It turns out that life is not about me after all!  He has created all things, including me, for His glory.  And He works everything together for good to those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28).  So when, by His grace, I identify pride, or self-pity, or any other self-focused characteristic showing up in my thoughts, attitudes, or actions, I am able to truly desire to change, to ask for the Lord’s forgiveness for seeking my own glory, and to ask the Holy Spirit to change me in that moment and going forward.

What does the word devotion mean to you?

To me to be devoted is to be totally committed to someone or something.  In the Christian faith I believe it means to be totally sold out to Christ.  “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). That includes being willing to sacrifice or suffer for His sake following the example He gave us – laying down His life.  I think it is summed up for me in the two greatest commandments Jesus gave us:  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:30-31).  My aim is to allow the Holy Spirit to help me to love the Lord this way, since I can’t even do that due to my own weakness.  When the Holy Spirit does this work in me and my focus is on loving Jesus, the second commandment is much easier to follow.

What daily practices or habits do you have that strengthen your devotion?

The single most important practice I have is to spend meaningful time reading the Bible each day and interacting with the Lord as I read.  I for sure don’t do this perfectly, but it makes all the difference!  It causes me to turn my eyes upon Jesus and reorients me to the Truth.  Prayer, including confession, thanksgiving, and requests, throughout the day – in other words, praying without ceasing – keeps me in close relationship with Him all day long.  Again, may the Lord enable me to do these things as I can’t even get myself to do them in my own strength.

Have there been any particular experiences in your life that taught you the importance of or strengthened your devotion?

Times of suffering, whether minor or big-time, have served to remind me that there is no other meaning in life than to live for Him.  One of the most impactful times for me was when I was let go from a very high-level position in a Fortune 500 organization.  Suddenly every aspect of my world was shaken after close to 25 years of working in the same organization.  I discovered that my security was much more in my identity in the workplace than I realized.  It was also in my ability to produce the income for my family to live on! My daily social interactions also depended on being at work.  Stripping all of this away, God brought me incredibly low during the next two years and caused me to seek His guidance, provision, purpose, and my identity in Him like never before.  I grew in intimacy with Him, dependence on Him, and confidence in Him as He met me in that time and walked with me through that dark valley.  I think I was different when I took my next job two years later, and I am so thankful that He prepared me to serve Him in new ways in that new organization, as well as in all of my life.

How do you remain devoted and faithful when opposition arises?

It isn’t easy!  I could never do it in my own strength.  I cry out to the Lord, sometimes in desperation, using the model He gave us in the Psalms of lament.  I seek the places in His Word that tell us to expect suffering such as in 1 Peter 4:12 and following.  I ask Him to strengthen me and to cause me to react to what is happening a way that reflects the way He endured opposition. I try to give thanks in these circumstances as it is His will for me (1 Thess. 5:18).  I ask Him to forgive me when I discover I have gotten angry or self-protective or depressed yet again.  Then I ask Him to glorify Himself through me and I try to get out of His way!

How does being devoted to Christ bring you joy?

Continually relinquishing control of my life to Jesus brings a deep inner peace and confidence which I call joy.  It is quite different from what we call happiness, which comes from comfortable or pleasant circumstances that can be shallow and fleeting at times. Joy remains through very unhappy times.  It comes from increasing intimacy with Christ and seeing His redemption and healing in my life now.  It also comes from knowing my ultimate destination is in heaven, where there will be no more tears or pain, the last enemy – death – will have been conquered, and I will see Him face to face (Rev 21:1-4). Oh, the joy of that thought!

I weep with joy every time I hear these words from a favorite song which sums up my hope for the future:

He shall return in robes of white,
The blazing Son shall pierce the night.
And I will rise among the saints,
My gaze transfixed on Jesus’ face.

 

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