For some reason we seem to believe that in order to be walking in God's will we must be experiencing success. Where does that come from? I mean, if we are supposed to be followers of Christ, we would see that just isn't the case. Walking in God's will for Jesus looked like absolute failure to everyone else around him.
I struggle with this idea that God's success may look like failure to me. I do not think that I am alone in this struggle. I don't always need everything to work out perfectly and I do not expect to have all the money and fame anyone could want, but I do find myself questioning my path simply because I'm not experiencing the kind of success that I believe that I should.
Perhaps, in my apparent failures, God is working out a success for Himself. Perhaps by my falling down, missing the mark, disappointing others' hopes for me there are times when I am exactly where God wills me to be. I mean, who's story do I think I'm in anyway, mine?
It is very difficult to accept worldly failures under any circumstance, but I find it even more difficult to accept those failures with the added awareness that God is allowing that failure to happen in order to create some other good, perhaps not even for me. That doesn't seem fair now does it?
It is very easy to get caught up in the idea that my life is about me, that I am the starring role and that everyone around me is ensemble. We live in a world that not only perpetuates this myth, but feeds it regularly with doses of advertisements and movie trailers that play on that very heart string.
But it is not about me, well, at least not in the lead role. What if we all began to live life as if we were all just bit parts, walk-ons, cameos in the story about Someone else? What lifestyle changes would we make if our perspective switched to see through Another person's grand plan for all of humankind instead of trying to make all of humankind about our wishes?
My book Living Intentionally teaches people how to discover their unique gifts and desires and learn how to use them through learning who God is and who He has created them to be. However, I think it stops short in some ways because it doesn't take that final step into realizing the purpose of "living life on purpose" may in fact not have everything to do with us, but many things to do with many others in our lives.
Learning to live life on purpose should lead us to live outside of ourselves and seek ways to serve all of the other cast members around us in a way that will bring glory to the Star of the story. I am working on this. I am discerning what gifts God has given me and striving to use those abilities in the way that best honors the Giver. But I tend to find myself getting in the way.
Lord I ask that you will help me to view my success and failure through the lens of eternity and not merely my limited human awareness. Use my every effort to build Your kingdom and please give me the grace to believe that sometimes, even my failures are part of the Master plan.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Jesus, as a celebrity
I have been thinking lately as I talk with other women that perhaps our inability to truly feel connected with Jesus is somehow related to how we seem to "connect" with other people.
We seem to know an awful lot about other people, particularly celebrities. We know everything from the birthdate to the favorite color of any number of famous people. Does that mean we know them?
What does knowing Jesus look like?
(Pictures taken from the movie, The Gospel of John Release Date:2003 (initial release) Director: Phillip Saville)
NAME: Jesus of Nazareth
DOB: December 25, 0 (or at least that's what we tell everyone, unless of course we go with the true story which is He was always from the beginning as the Word)
PARENTS: mary and joseph, and God
OCCUPATION: carpenter and messiah
KNOWN ACQUAINTANCES: Peter, James, John, Matthew, Andrew, Judas, Phillip, Bartholemew, Thomas, Thaddeaus, Simon, Mathias
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: turned water into wine, healed the blind man, fed thousands with just 5 loaves of bread, raised the dead, cured the lame, rose himself from death
DIED: was crucified at the age of 33 for crimes against the Jewish authority
ROSE AGAIN: three days later, He rose from death and appeared to His followers
CURRENT RESIDENCE: He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.
This could be a page in some fan magazine, right? All the facts and information about Jesus that we need to know him.
It's silly really how many people believe they know the celebrities they follow. We can know about a lot of things and certainly research a lot about people. But to KNOW someone...well, that's a bit different isn't it?
In Greek, eido means to see mechanically, academically; to inspect, examine and observe. However, ginosko means to absolutely know by intimate experience, to feel, comprehend, perceive. When we talk about knowing someone, which "know" do we mean?
In all relationships, we must first know about someone before we come to know them intimately. Learning about my husband when we were dating was important so that I could trust him, trust his choices, his behavior and his love for me enough that I was willing to be vulnerable with him.
The same is true in our relationship with Jesus. Yes, we must learn about God....His character, His promises and His choices, but we should not stop there! After we know about Him, we move into an intimate knowing of Him and that is where our lives change because His love transforms us from the inside.
Don't just be a fan of Jesus, collecting memorabilia and factual information. Move deeper into a relationship with Him and become intoxicated with His presence, not merely interested in His accomplishments.
We seem to know an awful lot about other people, particularly celebrities. We know everything from the birthdate to the favorite color of any number of famous people. Does that mean we know them?
What does knowing Jesus look like?
NAME: Jesus of Nazareth
DOB: December 25, 0 (or at least that's what we tell everyone, unless of course we go with the true story which is He was always from the beginning as the Word)
PARENTS: mary and joseph, and God
OCCUPATION: carpenter and messiah
KNOWN ACQUAINTANCES: Peter, James, John, Matthew, Andrew, Judas, Phillip, Bartholemew, Thomas, Thaddeaus, Simon, Mathias
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: turned water into wine, healed the blind man, fed thousands with just 5 loaves of bread, raised the dead, cured the lame, rose himself from death
DIED: was crucified at the age of 33 for crimes against the Jewish authority
ROSE AGAIN: three days later, He rose from death and appeared to His followers
CURRENT RESIDENCE: He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.
This could be a page in some fan magazine, right? All the facts and information about Jesus that we need to know him.
It's silly really how many people believe they know the celebrities they follow. We can know about a lot of things and certainly research a lot about people. But to KNOW someone...well, that's a bit different isn't it?
In Greek, eido means to see mechanically, academically; to inspect, examine and observe. However, ginosko means to absolutely know by intimate experience, to feel, comprehend, perceive. When we talk about knowing someone, which "know" do we mean?
In all relationships, we must first know about someone before we come to know them intimately. Learning about my husband when we were dating was important so that I could trust him, trust his choices, his behavior and his love for me enough that I was willing to be vulnerable with him.
The same is true in our relationship with Jesus. Yes, we must learn about God....His character, His promises and His choices, but we should not stop there! After we know about Him, we move into an intimate knowing of Him and that is where our lives change because His love transforms us from the inside.
Don't just be a fan of Jesus, collecting memorabilia and factual information. Move deeper into a relationship with Him and become intoxicated with His presence, not merely interested in His accomplishments.
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