“I became a better me, rather than just a poor copy of someone else.”

A thought by Larry Osborne, (2009-04-10) from his book, Spirituality for the Rest of Us: A Down-to-Earth Guide to Knowing God (p. 140). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

Larry shares how he came to this conclusion. He said, “At some point—I don't know exactly when—I just gave up. I decided I'd had enough of trying to live up to the best of everyone and everything. It was a smart move. Once I stepped back, I realized that most of my motivation to emulate all the strengths and traits I admired in others didn't come from listening to the voice of God. It came from trying to please friends and mentors who all assumed that their calling must be my calling.”

We do that don’t we?

He goes on, “I was surprised by the new sense of freedom and renewed focus I experienced once I no longer felt the need to match up to everyone else's best practices of the Christian faith. I was finally free to focus on the unique passions and gifts God had given me. Instead of constantly feeling inadequate about the areas where I didn't match up, I started to notice and rejoice in all the areas where I did. I became a better me, rather than just a poor copy of someone else.”

Oh if we are could get to that point.

He then says, “The fact is, God has given most of us passion and gifts for only a few things. When we follow those passions and hone those gifts, we end up doing exactly what we were made to do.”

He then gives some more good advice. He says, “Getting off the Best Practices Overload treadmill doesn't mean no longer learning from others or ceasing to stretch myself spiritually. There'll always be plenty of areas for growth and change. The mirror of Scripture, wise counsel, and the prompting of the Holy Spirit will see to that. But these God-inspired areas of growth and change will for the most part align with who we are and what we have been called to do and become.

God didn’t make junk when he created us. And if we don’t accept that fact and strive to grow and align with who we are then our family, friends and community will miss really miss out.

Let’s live out who God has created us to become. OK?

Comments

“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

“God does big things with small deeds.”

A thought by Max Lucado (2011-05-02) from his book, Cure for the Common Life (p. 115). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I don’t know how you feel about what you are doing and how it can make a difference. You may feel that it is so small and not even worth the effort. Max says, “Begin. Just begin! What seems small to you might be huge to someone else. Just ask Bohn Fawkes. During World War II, he piloted a B-17. On one mission he sustained flak from Nazi antiaircraft guns. Even though his gas tanks were hit, the plane did not explode, and Fawkes was able to land the plane. “On the morning following the raid, Fawkes asked his crew chief for the German shell. He wanted to keep a souvenir of his incredible good fortune. The crew chief explained that not just one but eleven shells had been found in the gas tanks, none of which had exploded. “Technicians opened the missiles and found them void of explosive cha...

"Lie 2: The more you worry about it, the better your odds of avoiding it."

A thought by Louie Giglio in his book, Winning the War on Worry (p. 5). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.) Here is another lie that the Enemy uses with us. And Louie says, "This is a tricky lie. Yes, we often have cause for concern and preparation. But the Enemy wants you to believe that if you worry or fret over a certain outcome long enough, you can keep something bad from happening." But this is so important to realize. He says, "The reality is worrying has never once prevented something negative from happening. Planning might. Prayer has. But worry never will." He continues, "The Enemy tells you that by worrying about a situation (or every situation) you can make your tomorrow better. Really, worry just robs you of today. Jesus implored us: 'I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body mor...

Just Continue That Thought...

Search This Blog