I'm calling this "Multitudes on Mondays" because that is what Ann Voskamp calls her list of gifts, which she posts on Mondays. And since I am posting these to both encourage you with the things God is doing in my life and to pay homage to Ann Voskamp because of the impact her book had on me, I thought I'd call mine the same thing.
But, before sharing my gifts this week, I want to share a revelation I've had because I am most thankful right now for the ways God is drawing me closer to Him and teaching me about Him. I think I need to start with a little background, though. I was at the lowest point I have ever been about 5 1/2 years ago. I had miscarried our 2nd child (our first was 5 at this time) and had major anxiety that developed as a ripple effect from the miscarriage. The anxiety soon turned to suicidal thoughts, but I desperately wanted to get through all of it. It was just that the anxiety was so severe that I just wanted it all to stop. At my lowest, I cried out to Christ, and He did intervene, but there was still so much healing to be done. Soon after this, our church broke up, so my support system was dismantled. I searched for years for something to help me grow closer to Christ. I wanted some person or some event or some thing to help me to get past the big wall blocking my relationship with Him. See, part of the anxiety stemmed from a lack of trust in who God was. During this time, my husband was also constantly seeking God's will for his life. He felt uncertain about career choices and how to fit certain passions he had into his life. He wanted more. But I recently began to realize something. We spent all of that time trying to feel better about life. We were searching for something to give us contentment and to make life better. And we were making everything all about us. The problem was that Christian faith is not about me or even about you. It is about Christ. I've mentioned similar things in previous posts, but there's more.
After reading a few different books and learning who God actually is as opposed to who I thought He was, I began to desire to read God's word more. I finally started a bible in a year plan this past November. I chose to read it chronologically, which of course starts with the Old Testament. The Old Testament, for those of you who maybe stay away from it like I did, is not all sweet and pretty; it's a roller coaster ride. It is full of death and destruction and hope and promises and anger and wrath. As I started reading it, I realized that I was going to have to make a choice. I was either going to have to come to terms with the fact that God is not really all good or I was going to have to embrace how just and perfect He is and how evil humanity is. (I opted for the 2nd choice, which was aided by another book I've been reading called Radical by David Platt.) I also realized that there is a constant theme throughout the Old Testament. Well, at least throughout Genesis, Job, and Exodus. (I'm almost to Leviticus.) God being glorified is the greatest purpose. He doesn't bless Abraham just for Abraham's own good. Sure, Abraham was loved by God and benefited, but God blesses Abraham so that all peoples on earth will be blessed through him. He picks Abraham for no particular reason (that I could tell) and chooses to use him to reveal God's glory. And then when God rescues His people out of Egypt, He hardens Pharaoh's heart so that God would gain glory for Himself and so that the Egyptians would know that He is Lord. And gosh, look at Job. Job suffers in every imaginable way just so God can show His glory and prove a point to Satan. If God was a human, He would be arrogant and well, evil. But He is not. He is a perfect God who is the creator of everything, who is merciful and loves perfectly and judges justly. And the greatest good is for His glory to be revealed to all of creation.
So, when we come to know Christ and as we try to find meaning in this life, we either do so in accordance with His plan, which is to reveal His glory to the earth, or to our own individual plans, which usually revolve around our own desires. I think, too many times, our Americanized view of Christ is that all of what He's done is simply for us when it is actually for His glory. Yes, He loves us. Yes, He has taken away our sins. Yes, we are blessed immensely. Yes, He has pursued you and me. But it is not just for our own good. It is for the good of the whole earth. See, God's grace does not only give us salvation; His grace transforms us so that we can go and make disciples of all nations. So, if we want to truly find contentment and purpose and godliness in this life, we have to think less of ourselves and more of others. Isn't that a funny paradigm? To be internally joyful, we need to give externally. To find happiness in a loveless marriage, we need to show love to our spouse. To find joy in parenting difficult children, we need to show them unconditional love and acceptance. To find peace in a tiring, thankless job, we need to serve those we work for and with and offer them more of ourselves.
All that time my husband and I spent trying to find contentment was wasted in thinking about ourselves. And once we started thinking about others and partnering up with God's mission, things started falling into place. Now, this is just the beginning of trying to live a truly selfless life, so my prayer is that this will remain true for us and that we will stay steadfast to God's plans. As our pastor mentioned today, it has to be a daily choice to partner with Him. I will be praying that all Christians will jump over the daily hurdles and choose to follow Christ and give externally so that He may be glorified. Will you join me in my prayer?
And here are some of the reasons why I want to give God all the glory (Remember, you can see January's Joy Dare by clicking here, which will also help you follow along with my list):
The 12th - 34. Crisp, blue Florida sky
35. A paved path around the lake, good for perfect morning runs with a sweet friend.
36. My bible on my table next to my chair in my bedroom all set up by my hubby for my bedtime
bible reading.
The 13th - 37. The 10 year old telling story after story while washing dishes.
38. Sweet Mrs. V telling my 4 year old how much she loves him.
39. My 2 year old laughing on the swing.
The 14th - 40. True remorse and apologies from my 4 year old
41. Realizing that it is all about God's glory while listening to Kari Jobe sing "Revelation Song"
just like the angels.
42. Watching my 10 year old act so mature while spending an amazing evening with just him.
No comments:
Post a Comment