Have you ever wondered if your existence really matters in the big scheme of things or if your unique life is worth actually living and if the gifts and abilities you carry matter? I know I have, numerous times. Feelings of inadequateness can leave us depressed, overwhelmed and in a state of feeling worthless. I have been there.
Thus far in my blogs, I have talked about Timing, Commitment and Conflict. These three things have a huge impact on whether each one of us steps into being the best possible “Me” that we can be, and whether we step into what we are meant to do with our lives in God’s great economy. God’s Timing is always perfect, Commitment is 100 % necessary, and Conflict is always going to be present when we try to move forward in what God is calling each one of us to do. But knowing that our lives really do matter, that we are deeply loved and valued, and that we are here with a greater purpose than just to please ourselves, is of even greater importance. Each one of us really does have a divine calling. Things that God Himself has prepared for us to do.
We make decisions about our lives based on what we believe about ourselves, who we believe ourselves to be, and what impact we believe our lives will have on others. If we have a sense that we matter very little, we will sit back and allow life to happen, being a spectator rather than fully engaged in living our lives to the full extent that we are meant to. And we are meant to live a life of Abundance! Not just some of us but all of us. Can you imagine a world where everyone is living up to their full potential? Wow! Wouldn’t that be just so awesome and amazing? That would be so incredible!
So why don’t we live that life of abundance? I hope by the end of this blog you will be feeling encouraged to indeed live that life of abundance and joy that God desires you to live, living out the best version of “You” possible. My hope is that you will be able to let go of the things in your life that hinder that process and step into the best life that God has for you to live, exercising the Divine Calling God has on your life! I have three points to make that will head us in the right direction. Read on my friend!
1. Whose Eyes are we looking Through?
The eyes that we see ourselves through have such a huge impact on who we see ourselves to be, and the confidence we do or do not have to move in the gifts and abilities that God has specifically given to each one of us. Many words have been spoken over us in our childhood, teen years and adult lives that have left their mark.
From an early age, I have always known that the old saying, “Sticks and stones will break my bones but names will never hurt me”, was not true, but was just a way of trying to avert the hurt, and not allow the other person to see just how much their words had affected me. If it’s someone close to us who knows us more intimately than a stranger, we might think that there is at least a little truth to the words they have said since they know us, and therefore they will carry more weight. This is true especially if it is a parent or a spouse. A parent's, a spouse’s, or even a sibling’s words can stick with us like honey on a spoon. The closer the person is to us, the heavier the weight of the words we will carry throughout our lives. We may be seeing ourselves through their eyes even if we don’t recognize it ourselves. Deep down we are telling ourselves that what they say is true even if it isn’t.
But if we look at ourselves through God’s eyes, at the person He created us to be, which is the best possible version of us, we will see that we have great worth. So much worth that Jesus Christ was willing to go to great lengths to secure a place for us in His Father’s Kingdom. Each person on this earth has enormous value in His eyes. We were created to be like Jesus. His perfect life was given for ours because of the sin that separates us from God. Each one of us can now stand before God made righteous by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Why did He do that? Because He loves us and our lives are of great value to Him. He redeemed us so that we can have an abundant life in relationship with Him forever. We have been perfected through Jesus Christ. Our identity must be found in Him in order to understand our incredible worth. The other lies spoken over us will then become ineffective, and we can step into all that God has prepared for us from the very beginning of time. I love how Cam Aitken put it in his message he spoke at Nanaimo Alliance Church recently;
“We can speak words of death or life over each other, but the word of God is like fire and like a hammer that breaks a rock into pieces. Jeremiah 23:29.”
As we believe the truth about ourselves in God’s eyes, His word breaks those words of death spoken over us into pieces, and we can become the light that we were meant to be in this world. Looking at ourselves through God’s eyes will chase away those feelings of worthlessness and we will realize that our sufficiency and our worth come from the Lord Himself. When we see ourselves through His eyes we will fulfil His calling on our lives.
1. No Need to Compete.
If we believe that each one of us has been made in the image of God, and has the need to be saved by the Lord Jesus Christ and that each of us has great worth and a purpose on this earth, why then do we compete and compare ourselves to each other? Shouldn’t we rather be in each other’s courts urging one another on to do the best we can in every area of our lives? Shouldn’t we be picking each other up when we fall and helping one another forward instead of knocking each other down trying to make ourselves look good and the other person bad? When we say demeaning words to or about another person we are essentially trying to make ourselves look better than them. Competition is an affront to God. If we are acting out of love for each other then we will lift one another up rather than drag each other down. We will be patient with each other. We will speak words of encouragement and help each other to live out our best lives. I am not saying we should never call each other out on our errors, but in truth and grace, 100% of each, we speak to one another for our good, encouraging each other to be the best we can be. We speak with love to see one another rise above whatever we have entangled ourselves in, always to lift up, never to tear down. We are the “Bride of Christ” singular, not Brides. Together we make up the “Bride”, and together we are also referred to as the Body of Christ, not bodies. We are “One with God and Christ”, and therefore there is no competition. We are told to serve one another in love. Jesus encouraged His disciples to wash one another’s feet by doing the act of washing their feet Himself. In Jesus' day, washing the feet was the lowest form of servanthood. This is what He calls us to be; a servant without the expectation of being served. If we are not competing, we will be more compelling, and we will make an impact on the world around us. Also, our competency comes from Christ himself so we have nothing to boast about. It’s all about Him and what He is doing in and through us. "Christ in us, the Hope of Glory!"
2. All Fired Up!
More often than not, the things that get you fired up or excited, are usually where your spiritual gifts lie. If you get up in the morning and you are not enthusiastic about the itinerary of the day, likely you are not working out of the spiritual gifts and abilities that God has blessed you with. If you get up and are eager to step into the day and do the things you have planned, work or recreation-wise, very likely you will be using the gifts and abilities that God has ordained in you. When you are using your God-given gifts and abilities you will also feel a wonderful sense of God’s pleasure over your life.
Yes! Believe it or not, God takes great pleasure in you, especially when you are doing what He created you to do using your distinct, and unique spiritual gifts. Not one of us is the same. Just like each snowflake, raindrop, or star in the sky differs from each other, so we differ from one another! We may have similarities for sure, but ultimately everyone one of us is different from everyone else. I used to say to my kids when they were younger, “Look the whole world over and you will find that there is no one just like you! You are special and very unique”.
Again, I want to point out that all of us, every person on this earth, have equal worth. Christ died for everyone! That doesn’t mean all will be saved, but that all can be, no matter how great their sin is. All who accept that Christ paid the penalty for their sin will go free. All who accept the gift of salvation will receive it. God is offering it to you. You just have to say yes! If you say yes, then God will begin a work in your life that will astound you, and He will continue to work in your life until He comes to receive you and all who follow Him to Himself. Then you will live forever with Him continuing to fulfil your God-given destiny, completely restored to who you were always meant to be. All things will be restored to what they were meant to be before sin entered the world and began the process of death and decay. Death and decay will be swallowed up in victory through Jesus Christ. There will come a day when all followers of Jesus Christ will live in a world where everyone is living up to their full potential. It will truly be awesome and amazing! I for one am so looking forward to that day. I know many of you are too!
If you do not know what your spiritual gifts are, I would be happy to help you discover them and find a place for you to shine within the Church. I am passionate about seeing all of God’s children discover their Divine Calling and live up to their full potential.
A great place to start is to: Take the Spiritual Gifts test
Just click on the link above, and it will take you to the Spiritual Gifts website where you can create an account, sign in and complete a series of questions designed to help identify your areas of gifting. Plan to take 20-30 minutes. When you have completed the questions, a summary will be emailed to you. Your results can be forwarded to Nanaimo Alliance Church (NAC) so that your areas of gifting can be matched with service areas at NAC and beyond. If you do not attend NAC, you are welcome to visit the website and take the test without having your information sent to NAC. You can access it at https://spiritualgiftstest.com/
So why do my life and spiritual gifts matter, and why do yours? To sum it all up, we were created by God, in His image, to bear His image to the World around us, so that each person might know that they were also created by God to be in a right relationship with Him. “Yada” is the Hebrew word meaning “to know”. God knows us so very intimately and He wants us to know Him intimately as well. We don’t need to compete with each other. There is no need. He has enough love and grace for each one of us. Together, as unique individuals, we are the Bride of Christ, and the Body of Christ, and each one of us brings a nuance to the whole church, making us one glorious entity in Christ Jesus. When we live out our lives in the midst of our God-given spiritual gifts and abilities, we are allowing Christ to live through us bringing light into the world, chasing away the darkness, and giving glory to God which He is most deserving of. It is like showing Him off to the world. When we walk in the Spirit we will not fulfil the desires of our flesh. When you live out your best life, there will be no feelings of jealousy toward others but a desire to help them live out their best life as well. There will be an abundance of peace and joy and a real sense of God’s pleasure in your heart, mind and soul. We are drawn closer to the heart of God when we live out His desires for the life He has given us to live. It is His breath that is in our lungs.
In closing, I just want to share an experience I had years ago:
Once when I was standing on a wharf looking over the edge into the water, I saw a school of fish swimming along together and I had a moment with God where I asked Him why He created those fish to do that, to swim in perfect unison together, all turning at the same time, moving effortlessly through the water in perfect harmony. I didn’t hear an audible voice just a knowing or understanding that God said;
“For my Glory.”
It was such a revelation, and as I was writing this blog, I envisioned that moment and know from His word that one day all of God’s people will look like those fish, moving in perfect unison and harmony, bringing Him glory in the New Heaven and the New Earth restored to what it was meant to be before sin entered this world. God is not egotistical like we are. He really is perfect in every way and He really does deserve all the glory and praise. Indeed, He is more glorious than our finite minds can even give Him credit for. He created the world and everything in it and it all belongs to Him. His word will not return to Him void, but it will accomplish that which He sent it out to do.
May His blessings be on each one of you,
Ann
