Who You Are Not What You Do

Who are you?  Not just "What's your name" . . . .  But what defines you?

I sat in chapel one weekday morning as the lecturer explained the deeper implications of our small talk.  "If you've ever listened to two men talk," he told us, "this is how the conversation begin: 'So, what do you do?'  Many of you have been dreaming about something you want to do like becoming President or changing the culture."

He was right.  Every one of us in that room had something noble that we wanted to do whether it was in politics or the church or even so broad as changing the world.  But he challenged us that day to spend less time thinking about what we wanted to do and to focus more on what we want to be.

Figuring out what we want to do can be difficult.  Do I write history books or design fashion or become a missionary or have lots of kiddies?  Or do I perhaps do all of those things at one time or another--maybe even all at the same time?

Choosing what we want to be should not be so difficult for those of us who are Christians.  We are to become Christlike (Rom. 8:29 ESV).  We are told that the fruits of the Spirit are "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:22-23 KJV).  We are told that "God is love" and His perfect love is defined for us in great detail (I John 4:8 ESV; I Cor. 13:4-7).  Surely, these are the things that we ought to strive to be.  We are also given stepping stones to the maturing of our faith (II Pet. 1:3-11).

For a very long time, I have found it difficult to measure myself by these Biblical standards.  It can be challenging to approach the task of self-assessment in an unbiased fashion, and yet it is crucial that we know where we stand and continue to learn and grow in godliness.

As we approach the end of this year, I want to challenge each of you to join me in measuring yourself against the Scriptural yardsticks provided and setting goals for who you would like to be or become in the new year.  If necessary, involve a mentor who knows you very well and can provide an objective viewpoint.  For me, the process will also include a little assessment of what I have learned this year and how I am changed as a result.

We cannot change the world for Christ until we are changed by Him.

That Feeling of Success

Have you ever felt that (ista) feeling of success, which does not feel like success at all.  Perhaps not.  But the feeling exists, and I've been learning the proper response to it recently.

Jason Stevens felt that feeling when he received a check for $100,000 to spend as he pleased. He stood dumbfounded amidst applause and finally said, "Don't get me wrong.  It's not the amount.  But I expected, I don't know, a different feeling . . . ."  Miss Hastings reassured him by saying, "Perhaps that is because now, you are a different person" (The Ultimate Gift, 2006).

The same feeling hit me when I finally submitted my senior thesis after researching and writing for a year and a half.  I knew that it was a wonderful accomplishment, that it was the result of hard work, that it meant I would graduate on time with my class, that it was a visible symbol of all the learning and growing I had done during the four years of college.  But it felt blasé, as if was just any other assignment and all of the extra time and effort really meant nothing special.

What we know and what we feel often collide.  Our feelings are sometimes false, no matter how true they may seem.  When we can analyze our reaction in a situation and realize that false feelings are robbing us of the joy and confidence gained from successful achievement, we must choose to believe the truth and reject that despicable feeling of disappointment mingling itself with our success.

The Goodness of God

In order to know and trust God, we must understand his character.  It is possible, however, to know God's character truly and yet refuse to adjust our expectations to fit that truth.  Or perhaps, we have been persuaded by Satan that certain of God's characteristics do not pertain to His dealings with us.  God's grace and mercy and faithfulness must be reserved only for those people who have it all together, who are perfect already.  That would make sense, wouldn't it, to our finite human minds that have only just grasped the holiness and justice of God's nature?

But here are a few truths that must not slip from our minds even as we view the righteous indignation of a holy God against sin:

God is love.  And here I quote from I John 4:8 (ESV).  We've all heard this before, but have we actually thought about it?  What does it really mean to say that God is love?

[God] is patient and kind; [God] does not envy or boast; [He] is not arrogant or rude. . . . [He] is not irritable or resentful; [He] does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  [God] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things  (I Cor. 13:4-7).

How does that picture compare with the one in your head labeled "God"?  He said in Jeremiah 31:3, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."  His faithfulness continued even when His people failed and were utterly faithless.  (I checked the context to make sure He wasn't just talking to the "good" people.)  He loves you and me, not only those fantastic "other people."

God plans for our ultimate good.  I know well enough that this does not always feel true.  But are we to base our faith and trust upon what we feel is true or what truly is?  Even if our life has just been torn apart at the seams or if we wonder how the best could eventually come from the barely adequate position of our current life, God does have a plan for us and He does know best how to execute it.  Our impatience and fearful worrying will not help us get there any more quickly, but they might keep us from the joy and contentment that could be ours along the way. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:6-7 KJV)  That thanksgiving for God's power and benevolent protection is key to experiencing the peace of God because frenzied praying that lacks thankfulness becomes just so much more worrying.

For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.  And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:26-28 ESV).

 God gives us wisdom.  Although we do not immediately understand the wisdom of God's plans for us, He has promised to give wisdom generously to all who ask of Him (Js. 1:5).  He is a loving, benevolent, and all-wise father not to be judged by any human "likeness" we may idolatrously put before His face.

Trust Him.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will will hear you.  You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (Jer. 29:11-13).