Let's talk about how we respond and interact with this Man, the Creator.
Let me also preface all this with the statement that we are all at different places in our walk and becoming more like Christ is something that is a continual process. (continual meaning I'm there yet either)
With that being said, knowing God is not enough.
A couple years ago I spent most of the day sitting in a coffee shop listening to worship music and simply being (something I try to make time to do often). And during my frequent attention-deficit-disorder-scannings-of-the-people-places-and-things around me, I noticed a display with books about the Kennedys. One book about his life was open to a page that had the phrase “An Unfinished Life”. I kept staring back at this phrase transfixed by the idea of living an unfinished life when we aren't dead yet.
Hear me out. Knowing God isn't enough. I could know God, go to a weekly worship service, spend time in the word and it would be living an unfinished life.
I remember also seeing a coffee cup quote around that same time (I get distracted easily, this I know) that said “just when the catepillar thought it was all over,it became a butterfly”. At this point I know I must be losing you with the Kennedys and a book store and a coffee cup and a catepillar but stay with me and I promise I'll make sense (or I'll just delete this before I post it). Romans 1:21 says:
“for although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him because they became futile in their thinking...”
Let me translate that scripture into the MCWversion:
“even though they knew God, they weren't aware of Him in everything. They lived an unfinished life; thus encountering God only at certain times rather than in everything; and their mindset became stagnant, without growth, stunted and unfruitful”
We know of God but are we cognizant of Him around us? Would we hear if He asked us to pay for the car behind us in a drive thru line? Or if He prodded our heart to pray with a person in the other aisle in Walmart?
Sometimes I forget just how great and awesome He is and how much I should be acknowledging Him in every area of my life. Are we like the catepillar and become so distraught with how things look at the moment that we don't trust that He won't leave us a caterpillar. You haven't reached your full potential. God won't leave you where you are if you are acting in full obedience to His word.
When we limit God to an encounter in morning quiet time or a weekly worship service, we miss all that He has to say and wants to do in and through us throughout the day. Thus, we are walking around living an unfinished life.
Acknowledging God isn't just for our benefit or gain in fact a great bit is just for Him. God is a relationship being, He desires friendship with us. He created us because He wanted to, He wanted relationship with us. (Ephesians 1:5)
God doesn't live in your morning quiet times. God doesn't live in a church a building. He lives in you and in me. When you finish reading this and go grab a cup of coffee in the kitchen or brush your teeth in the bathroom, God doesn't say “alright friend! See you tomorrow, same time same place!”. No. We are in a continual conversation with Him if we choose to be.
If the catepillar would have thought God only lived in a certain time or certain circumstance or certain moment then he never would have held on to see the transformation that which he didn't see coming.
Today I pray that you won't miss out on what God desires to whisper to you THROUGHOUT the day. I like to think that there are little signs of His love and direction that He sends in various avenues throughout the day, these I refer to as “post-it notes”. So I pray that you be open and aware of little post-it notes that God wants to offer you throughout the day. Enjoy the difference in your days when you choose to hear what God has to say to you throughout the day and not just in your quiet time!
“But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once
were far away have been brought near
through the blood of Christ.”
Ephesians 2:13
Originally, I was going to write about PURPOSE until a sassy, slightly hippy therapist said to me “how do you know purpose unless you know WHOSE you are?”. She is right. Talking about purpose before the basics of WHOSE we are is like drinking milk and then eating cereal, and that's just plain silly.
If we can ever fully grasp WHOSE we are, we will be able to fully live in WHO we are.
Continually finding worth in ourselves and depending on our own abilities will do nothing but cause unnecessary pressure we weren't ever designed to carry. And you know what happens with pressure over time? Pressure over time causes explosions or collapse. (I'll take neither sir!)
I've met many people who believed they were responsible for their own success. In fact I dated a guy who had a very funny view on things: if things went well it was his own doing, if things went wrong he would blame God. (this whole stupid mindset is something we will address together later, because I've believed this silliness too...) I've always posed the question to people who find success in their own ability: “isn't that an awful lot of pressure to think every thing that happens to you good or bad is up to you?”. Most have some run-a-round answer that causes me to doze off.
Let me make this clear:
YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN SUCCESS.
You are a child of a Man who created the entire world in a matter of days and took the time to put freckles on my face and make that one hair that always goes the wrong way; I'm pretty sure our lives are easy-peasy for Him. Why not take the pressure offer yourself and lay that burden down at His feet. Surrender is scarier when we think of it than it actually is. ( I said SCARIER than we think it is, I DID NOT say it wasn't difficult not to pick it up once we lay it down) One of my current favorite music obsessions (besides Miranda Lambert, I LOVE that take-no-prisoners woman!) is All Sons and Daughters and one of their wonderful lyrics from their song “From Dawn to Dusk” says perfectly what I'm trying to get across “tomorrow's freedom is today's surrender”.
You are a daughter of the day, a son of the light (1 Thessalonians 5:5). You have been bought with price, adopted into a the family of a King.
We aren't supposed to walk around haughty but rather confident that as we walk in relationship with the Creator,
He guides our steps and is lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. (Psalm 119:105) I take that as we seek Him, He provides direction for this moment and wisdom for the future.
(Oh! And if He isn't saying anything for this moment, BE STILL per Psalms 46:10) The beauty of accepting whose you are is that you begin to realize what you are because with the acceptance of a daughter or son of the Creator you realize you are:
blessed “ The Lord bless you, my daughter” (Ruth 3:10)
not alone “And the Lord is with him” ( 1 Samuel 16:18)
strong “ ...for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10)
radiantly beautiful “ those who look to Him are radiant” (Psalms 34:4)
not fearful “...it does not fear when heat comes...” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
Today I challenge you to not focus on
what you are NOT but what you ARE. And when thoughts creep in to bring you down, remind those thoughts you are a child of the Creator of the Universe and that Satan's words have no hold on you. Remind him and yourself that you are blessed, not alone, strong, radiantly beautiful and not afraid. I pray today that the Lord would surround you, He would hem you in and draw you close to Him; and you would feel His hand upon you today.
“ You hem me in – behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me”
Psalm 139:5
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