"So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God." -1 Corinthians 10:31
"However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace." -Acts 20:24
Something that the Lord has been constantly reminding me of lately is that this is NOT about me. And the "this" that He refers to is constantly changing. It's something new every day, yet it's always something uncomfortable. Something unpleasant. Something that I tend to think I could do without. But when I start to think that way, God gently reminds me that whatever "this" is, it is not about me.
Whether it is that I am dreading, it's not about me.
Whatever it is that I am just not looking forward to, it's not about me.
Whatever it is that I am complaining about, it's not about me.
Whatever it is that makes me feel uncomfortable, it's not about me.
Whatever it is that makes me frustrated, it's not about me.
Whatever it is that makes me feel as though I am the center of my life and everything that everyone does should cater to me, it is not about me.
And while that last one sounds like an exaggeration, it's often the root of how we live sometimes. We complain because we wish things were different in our lives, but our lives aren't about us. We avoid certain people because we don't want to be bothered, but why should our level of comfort dictate how much attention we give to others?
Sometimes, I simply do (or don't do) something because I'm too caught up focusing on myself. How will this make me feel? How will this make me look? How will I deal with this? How will I _____? Because I think my life is about me, when it's not.
God continues to remind me that He places me where I am in life and around the people in my life for HIS glory. For HIS purposes. For HIS work. For HIS will to be done on this earth. Not mine. It's not about me. It's not about you. It's about us living our lives in full surrender each and every day so that the Lord can work through us and use us as He pleases. Whatever that means. With no holding back. With no exceptions.
Yet, while I know I should be constantly living in surrender to the Lord, I so often don't. While I should be following the Spirit in each and every circumstance, I so often don't. While I should be stepping out in faith, not knowing what it will look like on the other side, I so often don't. Because I am more focused on what it means for me in that moment, than what it means for the Lord and His people.
The Lord is on a mission to seek and save the lost. And while He certainly desires for us to be a part of this mission He's on, we so often miss out because we are so focused on ourselves. And don't get me wrong. YOU ARE IMPORTANT. So incredibly important. I'm not saying that you aren't. But what I am saying is that your temporary dissatisfaction/discomfort with where you are/who you're with should not get in the way of letting the Lord use you.
And trust me, I am speaking straight to myself with this one. Because we have no idea of what we are missing out on the Lord doing simply because we are focused on ourselves and complaining about our current situations. And I get it. It's HARD. Trust me, I know. But it's going to be hard. If you wait until it's easy to let the Lord use you, you are going to miss out on so much more.
• You're going to miss seeing His grace fill the most awkward and uncomfortable moments of your life.
• You're going to miss out on seeing His goodness at work amidst hard times.
• You're going to miss the joy that comes with surrendering and letting the Lord have His way even though you want to do anything but that.
• You're going to miss out on the amazement that follows when a miracle happens after you choose faith over the facts.
So I challenge you with this:
Look around. See the people who are with you every single day. Get the focus off of yourself. Tune into what the Lord is saying to you and what He is asking from you. And then do it. Don't pause. Don't question. Don't doubt. Just do. Do it anyway. Go there anyway. Speak to that person anyway. Go help someone anyway. Put your selfishness aside and learn to embrace the awkward and uncomfortable and frustrating moments the Lord calls us to and watch how He meets you in the midst of it.
This is not about you. This is not about me. This is about partnering with the Lord and accomplishing His will during our time on this earth. And it won't get done if we're simply focused on ourselves.
It's time to get to work. Go [with the Lord wherever, whenever, and however He leads you] and make disciples.
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." - Jesus | Luke 22:42
Be blessed,
Elisha ♥︎
"What if there's a bigger picture? What if I'm missing out? What if there's a greater purpose that I could be living right now? I don't wanna miss what matters, I wanna be reaching out. Show me the greater purpose, so I can start living right now outside my own little world."
- My Own Little World | Matthew West