Expansive Boundaries
The more I recognize myself in union with Christ the more comfortable I am with myself. I tap His expression in me and it incites me to be who I am. When identity is at rest then personal boundaries emerge to safeguard false identifications with other people, causes, or roles. Definition comes to the foreground as the branch draws life from the Vine. People perish for lack of vision. Vision is more than a goal to lose weight, run a marathon, write a book, or to organize clutter. Vision is about seeing who I am. As His image in me takes shape I find a worthy reason to be myself. Apart from...
Read MoreDifferent Paths
When I find myself saying what I should or shouldn’t do it usually has more to do with other people’s values or beliefs than it does with my own. I’m hearing the voice of those around me or society at large. It is actually quite arrogant to presume to know what another person should do or how they should do it. I am not that person and they are not me. Succumbing to the pressure of doing what “should” be done contaminates peace and joy. Unrest reveals the inappropriateness of the step – presenting the opportunity to return to trust in the sovereignty...
Read MoreFor Love or Money?
Living from the head instead of the heart will blind me to who I am and what I want to do in life. There are dozens of roles to play, duties to perform, or jobs to work to earn money; and the mind will easily justify forsaking what I want in lieu of the money I could make at jobs I dislike. Discontent and unrest are born if the desires of the heart are sacrificed for money. What good is money without joy? What good is money if the “real me” isn’t present to use it? Taking a job that frustrates my being will generate grief and conflict. If my vocation is not in harmony...
Read MoreEvidence of Grace
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” Romans 12:6 I’ve stopped looking at what another can do to measure what I think I should be able to do. What you do may be difficult for me and what’s easy for me may not be for you. Let’s not make our gifts an opportunity to judge or compare. Gifts are in accordance with the grace that’s been given. I have the grace that matches my gifts. It’s like getting a toy car for Christmas with the batteries included. I am given the gift and the energy that goes along with it. I recognize...
Read MoreDifferent, Yet the Same
I have a melancholy temperament and often feel the need to be understood. I like knowing I”m on the same page with others and tend to work hard to articulate or extrapolate meaning. I cherish this part of me when it’s nested in God; but for the struggling mind in me it can be a false cry for conformity. How often have I looked for validation through uniformity with others? When I need to “be like you” to feel credible then even a different outlook will make me auto-adjust or over-correct my position to make sure I’m rightly understood. It’s as though any...
Read MoreDoing and Being
There was no other choice for me…leaving the familiar was like God pushing me out of the nest. New turf is rewarding and exhilarating – but also a lot like a junkie with intense withdrawals. There are days I am screaming on the inside… demanding some form of definition as to who I am and what I’m supposed to be DOING in life. “Doing” is like a drug that masks the pain of waking up to being myself. The skin crawls and the flesh cries out like the drug addict who would sell their very soul for another fix. I know…I’m melodramatic, but...
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