job search goodies
Out of the kindness of her heart, Kimberly once in awhile tries to help free me from the church-y cliches that hold me (and many who have grown up in the church) back. Most often that cliche is the one about "doing something for GOD." She sees how discontented and frustrated I tend to be, and tries to show me that that's not what GOD wants for me. Now, as I'm jobless, I run an even higher risk of falling into the trap of wanting to know what GOD wants me to do.
Today she sent me this:
http://sarahbessey.com/in-which-god-does-not-want-to-use-me/
(which, as she pointed out, can be used as job search time :) )
Hearing that GOD doesn't want to "use" me, but instead walk with me is a liberating thought. Which is probably why I'm balking a bit. But what if I want to be used? I can best be "used" by walking with HIM and allowing HIM to overflow my life. "Used" implies works, "walking with" implies relationship, which implies grace, which implies it's HIM, not me, which implies liberation from discontent and frustration. The hard part is that discontent and frustration have been part of my life for so long they're comfortable. They're not scary. I know what to expect from them. But wait - am I not the girl who's bored and wants adventure? Am I not someone who wants to do something different, try something new? Why not this? I may not know how to go about life without these things holding me back, but wouldn't it be exciting to try, with GOD's grace?
p.s. I also read this: http://sarahbessey.com/in-which-i-have-evangelical-hero/
Today she sent me this:
http://sarahbessey.com/in-which-god-does-not-want-to-use-me/
(which, as she pointed out, can be used as job search time :) )
Hearing that GOD doesn't want to "use" me, but instead walk with me is a liberating thought. Which is probably why I'm balking a bit. But what if I want to be used? I can best be "used" by walking with HIM and allowing HIM to overflow my life. "Used" implies works, "walking with" implies relationship, which implies grace, which implies it's HIM, not me, which implies liberation from discontent and frustration. The hard part is that discontent and frustration have been part of my life for so long they're comfortable. They're not scary. I know what to expect from them. But wait - am I not the girl who's bored and wants adventure? Am I not someone who wants to do something different, try something new? Why not this? I may not know how to go about life without these things holding me back, but wouldn't it be exciting to try, with GOD's grace?
p.s. I also read this: http://sarahbessey.com/in-which-i-have-evangelical-hero/
posted by melilotnfosco | 2:37 PM
10 Comments:
(Disclaimer: I have not read the links yet...)
I like that and agree. I've heard people say they want to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant" at the end of their lives, but that's not that motivating for me. What I want is to be loved and cherished no matter what. I feel like that's reflective of this relationship vs. works thing you're talking about. Not that doing something worthwhile isn't important and something I want, but it's not the main thing. What I really want is intimacy. (Granted, I do think that works/service can go hand in hand with intimacy, because it can foster trust, excitement, etc.)
I don't think she's saying to not do things or help out when needed, I think she's saying that those are not the point and not how God wants us to glorify Him. He doesn't need us to do big or even little things for Him. He wants relationship and that's it. If we're looking at the works we're not seeing ourselves or others with His eyes.
I think the writings of Mother Theresa fit into this well- how she was so determined to make sure that there was no glory for her in the work and that all she did was nothing to her compared to her longing for relationship with Christ.
I love reading Sarah Bessey. She challenges me. THIS post (the one you wrote, not hers that you linked to) challenges me. Because I struggle with that same discontent, that same deep desire to DO something for God. It's easier for me to DO than to BE. Relying on BEING is scary...
That blog link reminded me of when Harry finally understood what Dumbledore was trying to explain to him in the end of OOTP [Spoiler Alert!]... that it was "the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high."
I agree that the word "use" may cause people to feel like they're just God's tools. And, like Harry, I agree that while we are still supposed to obey God, it should be out of our personal desire to obey, and not out of guilt or fear. That's a libertarian point of view, isn't it? :-) It's always best if people were to do good things out of their own desire, and not by force or law.
I just want to add my own two cents to say the author could have written quite a few more lines in the article to emphasize that, while God does want an intimate relationship with us, it doesn't excuse us from not doing anything besides sitting around feeling warm fuzzies.
My argument is that God sure as heck WANTS TO USE US. Certainly, it would be best if we WANT to be used. And yes, that Wanting to be used comes from having a deep relationship with God, as that desire becomes a reflection of that.
So I disagree with the line Kimberly wrote that "He doesn't need us to do big or even little things for Him. He wants relationship and that's it."
Scripture is clear that we are to love and care for the poor, needy, disabled, imprisoned, sinners. Love our neighbor as ourselves. That means, we don't call them names, don't condemn them as sinners and hypocrites (because we all are! and there is no grey scale from "very sinful" to "not very"), and most importantly, we don't ignore them. Luke 16:19-25 reminds us that it is wicked of us to only care about ourselves.
I suggest that if EVEN IF we don't feel that urge to "do good", we should. Because (studies show!) our behaviors/actions affect our mood and thoughts.
Similar to the idea that love is a choice. Gary Chapman said, “Love is a choice you make everyday.” In his book "The Five Love Languages", he explains how so many marriages fail because people start to lose that feeling of love, so they don't act it out any more, and so the love actually fizzles. But, when they commit to acting out the other person's love language(s), their "love tanks" get refilled. This is because they have acted out something they did not strongly feel, but in so doing, they began to feel it.
Argh. Sorry I got on a soapbox again. I guess this one got me feeling defensive. All I'm saying, is Jesus told us what the two greatest commandments are: Love the Lord your God (with everything) and Love your neighbor as yourself. The author of this article, made it sound like it was just the first and the other follows. I'm pretty sure it's both. At once. They're the two "greatest", not sequential, commandments.
here's where i'm coming from:
i am always wanting to know what GOD wants me to do. i'm always wanting clear direction. i'm always wanting some big, obvious way for me to serve GOD. and i feel like until i find that thing, GOD's can't use me all the way. i want a definite way for him to do that, and i get frustrated and down not knowing what that thing is.
what kimberly tries to tell me, though, is that GOD doesn't necessarily have a nice little exact plan worked out for me. HE doesn't necessarily have one thing picked out for me as the way for me to be of use to HIM. what HE wants is for me to walk with HIM and allow HIM into every area of my life. these are things i need to remember as i tend to get caught up in worrying about what GOD 'wants me to do' with my life. as an extremely non-touchy-feely person, i sometimes need help to see the relationship end of things. i lean more to the supposed to/not supposed to end of the spectrum.
obviously i think it's important to work to further HIS Kingdom; Scripture says that. we need to serve the LORD and others. but i think i personally need to remember that it doesn't matter what exactly i do, as long as i'm walking with HIM and glorifying HIM thereby.
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first of all, thank you, kim, for pointing this out to mel (and in so doing, to all of us). far too often we get caught up in the 'doing', thinking that if we're not following a 'churchy' path (for lack of a better term), we're not following God. we forget that walking with God and glorifying Him is what is most important.
melilot, you've got aunt and uncles and cousins on the mission field. it's easy to think you have to be 'used' by God. but think for a minute about your parents and your grandparents. none of them did anything big - by the standards of most people. and yet none of their lives were/are by any means insignificant.
i've never thought that i need to be used in a mission field way. i think it's more of the wanting to be used for something important in some capacity, or just wanting a specific direction.
Kimberly said:
Auto- I love your soapbox!! I hope we meet someday because I think we would get along swimmingly.
You are very right and I should have put more context in about the link. Sarah Bessy is a HUGE social justice advocate and Melilot can attest to me being a big old bleeding heart liberal. I'm just speaking for Sarah Bessy here, but I think that both of us would say that working in the church and working for justice are incredibly important aspects of a healthy Christian life. However- and this is the point- it does not make you more worthwhile in God's eyes. He cares just as much for the North American who has a choice in careers as for the poor Afghan girl married off in childhood and forced to stay at home raising many children with no other career or community work in sight. That we are so interested in figuring out exactly what God's specific individually unique plan for each of our lives is not biblical, or realistic. God wants a relationship with us -that is His will for our lives. That is what saves us. If we don't figure out what He wants for our career (assuming He has an opinion) we are not a disappointment to Him, or somehow less able to be used to advance His kingdom. If we don't marry, He does not love us less. If we are confined to our homes by illness, he does not love us less.
And when we do dedicate our arms and legs and prayer to His service and do good deeds, that does not make us "good" Christians if we do not have the abiding relationship with God. I don't think it matters what good we do. We should do it as we find it, or if God has given you an adventurous spirit, where you go looking for it! The good should be a natural outworking of your indwelling life with Christ, not because God has told you that He made you as His pawn and has a very specific vision for your life.
I hope that makes more (or some!) sense.
(sorry, kimmie, you used my name)
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