Thanks Andy Stanley, for those words.
My own biggest critic - Me. The person with the greatest power and influence to slow the forward motion of my progress with God - ME. God created us. God put dreams in our hearts. God placed talent in our hands and vision in our soul. He can't show us all at once how awesome a plan He has for us - we wouldn't believe it if He did. We would doubt. We would most likely run in fear. We are our own greatest critic, greatest limitation. Yet we are God's handiwork. We exist to be God's fingerprint on His creation.
People will doubt your call. People will even hate you because of your call (sounds like something Jesus said). People will fear you. People will tell stories about you and try to hurt you.
Our responsibility is to wake up every morning not worrying about who is against us or who is on our side but rather whose side we are on. Are you on God's side? Are you following His lead? Are you worrying about making your mark or making His mark? Are you concerned about the rumors? The doubters? The haters? Or are you concerned with knowing that you are on the side of the Creator? Really, what does it matter who is for us? What does it matter who is against us?
I am for God. God is for me. And this is just the beginning.
Posts
Vision in our souls...that's what it is all about! Our hearts, our compassion, our brokenness.
ReplyDeleteI pray God takes us all by the hand and that we allow Him to do His very will in the body of Christ lives!
Reflecting His love! We will be used to enhance the Kingdom of Heaven!
You have so many outstanding gifts Chad. You are truly blessed. I have witnessed your gifts of music and speech...but i must say that i feel especially moved by the purity and eloquence in your writings. words written in truth cannot be misunderstood, misconstrued nor can they have a certain "tone" or "look". there is no shyness or fear. I think this blog is going to touch many of whom feel "in between" or "unsure" of their current situation, past, purpose, or even God's existence for that matter. I think a lot of people have forgotten what "church" is. It's become just another social event filled with wallflowers and spiritual elites. the wallflowers are slipping through cracks and overlooked. We as spiritual "lights" need to remember the amazing life-changing moment when we first experienced the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and daily blessings of God~the moment we knew without doubt, shaken to our core by the presence of God. That moment is a moment many are searching for, and are yearning for. Pure unconditional love. There is so much hurt in this world, more now than ever...and it's growing and consuming lives at such pandemic rates. I am guilty of taking God's love for granted. I have always taken the hard path, dodging & avoiding God. Finally I feel I am where I am needed right now. I am surrounded by the darkened hearts of those so badly hurt that they have denied the existence of God. I feel I have been placed among the dark and faithless to "illuminate" the small "blink and you missed it" ways in which God guides us along life's divine, intricate paths. I believe we all reach the "Intersection" where God manifests within us. The route/timing,willingness,readiness,acceptance and understanding varies. I am a different person because of things God has and is constantly revealing to me. I often wonder how someone like me, someone who has perfected the art of imperfection and disobedience, can still be a worthy instrument of God. It is the moments when God moves through us~some through our worldly imperfections, in the least holy of places~ through song and pulpits~parochial school nuns and rebellion ~ through discourse and written word~charity and goodwill~ or random acts of kindness committed by strangers. Everyday, every moment God is using every person whether we know it or not. Our sole purpose above any other is to glorify God by loving all and loving always~through action and interaction~with selflessness and patience~to the best of our human ability.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being one the instruments that led me to know God.
Praise God for crossing our paths.
Praise God for continuously using us as instruments that help guide others closer to His love.
~even in mysterious ways.