“Your world could grow infinitely bigger if you were only willing to become…appropriately small.” – John Ortberg
It’s amazing how things can sneak up on you. It’s amazing how things that were originally supposed to be in the background, can so quickly take the forefront. My husband and I were talking about that tonight and it got me thinking.
In a few short months we will be making a huge move….a move to a city unknown. It can be daunting at times, thinking of all the possibilities. The unknown can be mind boggling. So many questions could occupy our minds: What if we make the wrong choice? What if we go to the wrong place? What if we make a bad decision? What if things don’t work out how we’ve planned?
Little by little, the word WE starts sneaking into the forefront, and HE (God), slowly takes a seat in the back. Somehow, we get to the point where we have it all backwards. Somehow, we start believing the lie that this life is really all about us…our lives…our futures…our hopes and dreams…
I’ve heard from a lot of you, and I know we’re not the only ones going through a series of unknowns. So many of you have been stuck on decisions with jobs, location, careers, and relationships. For a lot of you, the future seems like a giant question mark, dim with the fears of the great unknown. Life can feel so out of control at times, and we can feel so small in it.
But I wonder if it’s only within those very moments of our smallness, that God has a chance to become big. No matter where you are or what unknowns have been placed before you, join me in considering some of the questions that I’ve been allowing to permeate my mind and my heart, and slowly shift my perspective:
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What if this is not about your future- but rather, about God‘s plans?
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What if the only reason you are here today is to reach out to someone in this place?
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What if this is not about you at all, but about bringing Him glory?
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What if your whole life’s goals, desires, and dreams were rooted in one purpose and one purpose alone- to know God’s love and to make Him known?
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What if all your hopes and dreams were meant only as a backdrop to His real plans?
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What if God is guiding you through things that are far bigger than you can see from your perspective?
Some of these questions are mine to take ownership of, but I know- some of these questions are for you, too. You, like us, may have allowed things in this life: your future, your unexpected illness, your difficult job, stressful schooling, annoying coworkers, relationships, hopes and dreams, family, ministry, and scariest of all- your self….to take the center stage.
The shift may have been so subtle, that you never noticed it. It may have been so innocent that no one around you would have even noticed. Do me a favor, ask yourself this: What am I preoccupied with throughout the day?
The answer may be painful, but it will be revealing. Revealing of the true conditions of our hearts. The idols in our lives. The center of our stage.
The truth of what is being made greater and what is being made less. (John 3:30)
May we all take a hard look at our lives, asking God to align our priorities with His. Asking Him to become infinitely greater, and we to become significantly less. May we know His heart, and may we trust that it is always for our good, but ultimately, for His good.
He must become greater, I must become less.
What are some of the unknowns you find yourself facing today?
