Becoming Someone

Matthew 6:25-27 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?”

This last week, our mid-week small group met to continue in our video series by Pastor Louie Giglio, titled “Relat(able). The lessons talks about these inspirational posters that we see these days with clichés that are nuggets of wisdom because they are actual and authentic. One such poster says: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. It calls each of us to take personal responsibility for the inner work requires in order to affect outward change. Making a difference, then, begins not by fixating on the problems “out there” in the world but instead by looking “in here”, to one’s own life, and make changes there first.

Matthew 6:28-30 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!”

Pastor Giglio invites us to shift our expectations when it comes to being in a relationship. In our passion to find contentment in general, we fixate on finding what we’re looking for “out there”. Louie suggests that when we do this, we might miss what God wants to do in us - “in here”. It seems that, whether it is a cliché or not, the things we most want to see changed in our lives still start with looking inward. The question is, “Do you believe this?”; “Is your heart in the ‘right’ place?”

Matthew 6:31-34 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

God plants hope. Pastor Giglio gave us five seeds of hope for our heart. The first seed of hope is knowing that we have a Heavenly Father who promises that if we prioritize a life of seeking Him, He will prioritize a life of providing for us. How can we live in relationship with God? Our happiness is found in our trust of a Creator Father’s provision - (Jehovah Jireh means Yahweh will provide). Anxiety cripples us with worry. Know that it is not God’s nature to not provide our needs, but He desires us to desire Him over those needs. The second seed of hope is that what we ultimately need most is not a mate, but a “Maker”. Before we fall in love with a mate, we need to fall in love with our Maker. Let’s not miss the main event! We were made for a flawless life and we were made for a Maker, Almighty God.  

Matthew 22:37 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

The third seed of hope is that even though we cannot control whether or not we find someone, we can control becoming someone. This is a priority shift and a flipped concept in today’s culture the fills the reality gap in our lives. What type for you?

The fourth seed of hope is that God is in the business of moving us towards the proximity of the person He wants us to meet. This begins by us submitting ourselves to be molded by our Maker. Commit to submit willingly. We are all created by God and our primary relationship is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When both individuals in relationship have Christ as the “common objective”, then as they move closer to the Lord, they naturally move closer to each other (as moving up both sides of a triangle).

The fifth seed of hope is that there is power in today. We cannot allow the enemy (the flesh, the world and the devil) to steal who God wants us to become today by causing us to stress about a potential outcome tomorrow. Improving can be a ‘touchy” subject, but understanding God’s love and grace at the foot of the cross helps put things into prospective, so that we start becoming someone.

In Christ, Brian