I have
this place that I try to go to by myself whenever I get the chance and I call
it “thinking rock”. It’s become a place where there is nothing except God, me,
a rock, His creation and great conversation. Recently, God has started to
reveal some things in my life that have really changed my perspective so I
thought I’d share.
I am
beginning to realize that my whole life is based on other people. I have put it
into the hands of others to make me happy, to entertain me, to make me feel
loved, to make me feel funny, to make me feel like a man, to make me feel like
a “good” Christian, to make me feel approved, to make me feel successful…this
list could go on for days. I started to see that I was setting up everyone
around me to disappoint me and this will inevitably happen. I constantly
compare my life and my experiences with those around me and I use that to
measure who I am and to justify where I’ve been, what I’ve become and who I
strive to be.
Through
all of these things God is showing me that I am seeking Him and I will never
find it in others. I’m learning that if I seek God’s approval and justification
for what I do in my life I will NEVER be disappointed. If I go to Him for
happiness, entertainment, love, and everything else He will pour back into me
and I will never ever be let down. It’s so unfair for any of us to constantly
put this pressure on those around us for something that only God can provide.
It’s the equivalent to asking an apple to be
an orange or asking a cat to be a lion or asking a sailboat to be a battleship.
You might be able to get a little bit of what you’re looking for in each of
these things but you will never FULLY find what you are looking for because it
is IMPOSSIBLE. An apple is a fruit and it has seeds and it is grown on a tree
but it will never be an orange no matter how much you ask it to. A cat has
claws and will chase down small prey but it will never take down a gazelle , it
will never strike fear in the hearts of whoever it comes into contact with, it
will never be a lion. A sailboat can float and carry people across the water
but it will never be fit for a modern battle, it just can’t be a battleship.
Look
back onto any time recently you’ve been disappointed and really think about it.
You allowed someone to disappoint you, you have put someone in a position to
dictate your emotions and it is soooo awesome to start being set free from
that. I’m truly learning what this freedom that Christ promises is all about. I
am becoming free of this life that others want for me and this life that I
allow others to make for me. It’s Christ’s life for ME that I want and it the
closer I get to letting go of the world’s expectations the more fulfilled and
happy I become. I’ve never experienced this type of freedom and it has really
started to rock my world and my thoughts aren’t what they once were.
I was
giving a children’s sermon the other day and afterwards I thought I butchered
it and maybe that’s what others around me thought but when I take that control
out of their hands to justify me and give it to God I realized that He thought
it was perfect and He can use ANYTHING I say to further His kingdom and it
immediately changed my mood.
I just
challenge everyone to stop giving into the world, stop giving into
expectations, stop giving into your jobs, stop giving your friends, family,
significant others or even strangers the ability to shape your attitude and
your life…Give it to the One who created you, I promise He knows your life
better than you do and will never let you down. Come with me in experiencing
this FREEDOM, it’s time to stop being oppressed by the chains the world puts on
our life. It’s time to step out into this beautiful, adventurous, CRAZY life
that God has planned for us!
