Handmade

Can I be candid with you? Sometimes I get mad at God; sometimes I even yell at Him. It may be about the weather or driving conditions, but as of late it's been because I don't feel like I'm enough. I yell at Him because I do not look the way I think I should look, or I'm not funny enough, or smart enough. I yell at Him because He's the One who made me, and He obviously could have done a better job.

Does that strike a chord with any of you? Do you ever compare yourself to others and think, "Why not me, God?"

Well, I went to a concert this past weekend and bought a t-shirt.

The band Rend Collective Experiment (awesome, check them out if you don't know them) spoke about how God doesn't have a factory in order to mass produce humans. Every little thing about you, about me, was perfectly handcrafted. He didn't make a mistake, and all that He creates is good. 

I know these verses are quoted often, but take a moment to ponder what that means in your life. 

For you formed my inward parts;

you knitted me together in my mother's womb.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works;

my soul knows it very well.

My frame was not hidden from you,

when I was being made in secret,

intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance;

in your book were written, every one of them,

the days that were formed for me,

when as yet there was none of them.

(Psalm 139:13-16 ESV)

God knew what He was doing when He made you, and He made you the way that you are to fulfill a purpose for His Kingdom and glory. He knew that you'd have a problem with sin, and He did something about it. He sent His Son to the cross so that you, in all of your sin and shame, would be able to stand before God in all that glory that He created you in; perfect. 

So the next time that these lies creep in, remember that God -- the King -- created you. He knows you better than anyone else, and He loves you with such an intense, fierce love. And He doesn't make mistakes, because He makes everything good. 

Hardwired Evangelists

The small group Bible study I'm a part of has been going through The Explicit Gospel with Matt Chandler. It's exceptionally good, and has been a catalyst for the Holy Spirit to open my eyes much more fully to the Gospel, and in that, radically transform my life. I would truly love to see every person I know go through this study. It's been that impactful!

One of the things which really stood out to me is the idea we are all naturally evangelists. As in, it's intrinsically a part of who we are. At first I thought of this term in only the common Christian use, talking about Jesus so others will hear and receive Him. But in reality, we do this with everything.

When we experience something amazing, we talk about it right? When we see a movie and think it's the best of the year, we get excited and share about it. When we do something exciting, we get excited, and our excitement influences others to get excited about it.... See where I'm going with this? Just as I shared with you about this amazing Bible study I'm going through, each of us are hardwired to share about the things which are impacting us the most.

This leads us to a simple question. 

What are we sharing the most? Said slightly differently: What are we being evangelists of the most? Whatever it is, that is what is impacting our lives the most.

If it isn't Jesus, He doesn't love us less. And if it is, that doesn't cause Him to love us more. But it does speak a lot to where we are. 

May you experience the Gospel deeper this week!

A Call to Serve

Sometimes I get it. I get why Jonah said no. Why he ran in the opposite direction of where God had called him to go. It's certainly easier. Until that big fish came along. Then 'yes' may have looked a whole lot better than 'no'.

Over the past two months, I have been challenged in regards to my service to Jesus. Since becoming a mom, my involvement in the youth ministry and related activities at church has drastically plummeted. Everything seems to start at 7 pm, which is highly inconvenient when that's the time you start the bath water and begin winding your little man down for the night. So I really struggled with what I could do, how I could have some sort of outreach.

And then, at one of my MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) meetings, there was announcement about a training for those involved in leadership or who wanted to become involved in leadership. I told the Lord that if that was something He wanted me to do, He was going to have to send someone to ask me to be involved.

Guess what? Yep. I was approached. I was asked to consider serving.

My excuses to say no were abundant. But so too were God's exhortations in Scripture to say yes:

God, this service isn't one of my strengths."And He has said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.' . . . When I am weak, then I am strong."(2 Corinthians 12:9-10) 

God, I get asked if I'm still in high school. I look young and feel too young and inadequate for this. "Let no one look down on your youthfulness . . . show yourself an example to those who believe." (1 Timothy 4:12) 

God, I like my comfortable schedule, routine and way of life. This will probably throw a wrench in that.Can't I just say no? "If I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me." (Philippians 1:22) 

God, are you really sure you want to use me? "Christ Jesus our Lord . . . has strengthed me . . . He considered me faithful, putting my into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor." (1 Timothy 1:12-13)

For some reason we think we have to have it all together before we serve. That we can serve only in the areas where we feel gifted. That we aren't good enough. That someone else could do it better. We forget that the Lord will equip us when He calls us. He will be our strength when we are weak. He is good and because of His goodness, He uses flawed people like us.

And really, it's not about us anyways is it? It's all about Him.

"'Let your light shine before men in such a way that they see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.'" - Matthew 5:16 (emphasis mine)