"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." ~Nelson Mandela
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34
It's difficult for us to face problems. We don't like to admit we have them, and we have an even harder time of making a decision regarding them. Easier for us to run away, ignore them, hope someone else will deal with them for us, or point the finger at something other than ourselves in order to justify our actions (or lack thereof). The problem isn't that we will have problems (because face it, we will!); it's how we deal with them. When we spend more time focusing directly on the problem/decision itself, we run the risk of falling into an abyss of self-pity and despair (to which we will occasionally fall). And this we know is not a healthy attitude, nor will it get us anywhere. All this advice we already know; it's almost always easier said than done, and we all know how much we love what is easier.
Encountering problems and/or making decisions often catches us comparing our lives to others--we look at how we could've done so many things if we only had the chance (or the chance again). We see others around us and wish we could be them; we are hard to please and harder to satisfy. In the last daily bread we discussed how people and various lifestyles can look so appealing to us. It seems that we want to be happy, but as soon as we achieve whatever it is we believe will make us happy, then we are not happy, all over again. "We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." ~Frederick Keonig
"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." ~Nelson Mandela This does NOT mean the life you might be living is not a notable life. It does not mean that someone else's life might be BETTER or more IMPORTANT than your own. Because stop right there. Our lives, our individual lives are individual for a reason. No one else can possibly fully understand us (except God) because no one else is YOU. You can tell me your problem for example, and while I may have had a similar experience, I can only empathize so far with you--even if I feel the same emotions as you, your EXPERIENCE is unique to you and to you alone.
Only YOU can ask yourself the question: what are YOU capable of? Don't be surprised if you can't answer it though. We can go our whole lives and still not be able to answer such a question. People can change throughout their life, and to say you know or want to know yourself so fully in every way would in reality take many lifetimes to study--not to mention the dedication it would also require. "Knowledge rests not upon truth alone, but upon error also." ~Carl Jung I for one couldn't tell you who I am, because this is something I will be studying on for the rest of my life.
No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it. Ecclesiastes 8:17 So why should we bother asking at all? Well, we will discuss more on that later, but think of it this way; we can still learn and grow...
This leads us to the topic at hand; I have heard many ask the infamous question, "what is God's plan for my life"? If you are one of those that struggles with the problems that often collaborate with such a question, keep reading. You might be someone who look at other people who have said that God called them to such and such, and wonder why God hasn't called you to a similar more noteworthy life. "Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell no one any story but his own." ~Aslan, The Horse and His Boy Therefore, you are the author of your own story, and no one's is better than another. Keep in mind this thought; someone who seems to have accomplished much in the public eye may have accomplished little mentally or spiritually. So don't fall so quickly for the belief that a seemingly "noble and fantastical" life is not what you already have. Everyone's view of these things are different. But, on the other hand, if you don't like your life, then work on changing it yourself. God will present to us opportunities; we can choose to take them or not, but ultimately focusing on whether God orchestrates everything for us and we have no say at all seems rather childish. I believe that God's "plan" for all our lives deals with the mental/spiritual sides of life--what makes us a better person for example. Or does what I do strengthen my relationship with God? With others?"As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself... Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility." ~Nelson Mandela
So then, just WHO is this sort of God? I'm afraid I have no clear answer for this one. I can however, look around at the world, and see all that He has created, and I feel Him a part of it all. I can say that's who God is. I can say He is a part of the woman who gives a homeless man a hot meal. I can say He is a part of the family who loves and hurts together. I can say he is a part of the wind that whispers through the trees, the sun that helps the plants grow, a baby's laugh, or even in a young friend killed in a car crash. He is a part of everything, even that which we may view as sad or unfair or something we do not understand. I don't see how anyone can really explain Him outside of that; but just as we can see and understand to an extent the results of the work of an experiment, so also can we at least see what He has in this world--what makes up you and me. A reflection of Him if you will.
We are made in His image; Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:26-27
This means we are NOT God, but rather a REFLECTION of Him. This means that our reflection should be a beautiful representation of who God is; ultimately this paints the picture of WHO WE ARE. (We've discussed this topic in past daily breads). God is so many things, and so much more that we will never comprehend, so our reflection of Him is rather complicated. I am sure that God is greatly interested in all that we do in our lives; but when we make decisions and stress whether God will be pleased or not with them, I believe we then begin to lose sight of the essence of God and what He's ultimately all about (love...). We are all different, so I believe we all then will show different reflections of God. The bottom line here I think, is that it is more about HOW we reflect God than the actual essence of what we do; what is your attitude like for example. I believe we should be humbly glorifying Him in all that we are. If we are His reflection, we should honor it and strive to be holy...
Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. John 8:54
"People should not worry as much about what they do but rather about what they are. If they and their ways are good, then their deeds are radiant. If you are righteous, then what you do will also be righteous. We should not think that holiness is based on what we do but rather on what we are, for it is not our works which sanctify us but we who sanctify our works." ~Meister Eckhart
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1-5
Why should we honor God? We honor Him because He is a part of us and gave us life; the least we could do is show our humble and appreciative respect. And as far as what He longs for our lives, well, I think that's just it. He longs for us to love Him, and to glorify Him in whatever we may do. Sometimes we may look at other peoples' lives and wonder why we didn't have a life like theirs; we might wonder why we seem so, well, incomplete. Is this showing God love, or selfish ambition? Is it fair for us to blame God for what our lives may be like? We will say we search for happiness, but I wonder if and when we might find it, will that truly make us happy? And will we be satisfied even then?"If our condition were truly happy, we would not seek diversion from it in order to make ourselves happy". ~Blaise Pascal
Seek the Lord, all you humble of the land, you who do what He commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility. Zephaniah 2:3a
God can and will use us in whatever we do in this life. So if you make a decision you aren't sure is the "right" one in line with God's "plans", take a moment to breathe. It's extremely hard to say if any one thing is "right"; most decisions are based off of what might seem like the "better" or more "beneficial" way to go. If your decision turns out not as well as you thought, reevaluate it. Don't settle yourself in your fabricated despair. Rather instead create new opportunities. Learn from mistakes. Learn for future ideas. Make new mistakes. Life will never be cut and dried simple. But we can still work with it. It's just going to take effort on our parts. "To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also." ~Igor Stravinsky We need to be willing to try my friends.
Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything..Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:4, 12
I think He is very interested in what we do, but isn't the kind of being idly spinning our lives on some perfect string as though we were a puppet. Life is too unpredictable; even though He may have a hand in our lives, what we make of it is ultimately up to us. I believe He has given us the freedom to decide; He is here to give us His strength, love, and guidance--the question is, are we willing to let Him in to help us? The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Isaiah 58:11
"You never know how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood becomes a matter of life and death to you. It is easy for you to believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely using it to cord a box. But suppose that you had to hang by that rope over a precipice. Wouldn't you then first discover how much you really trusted it? Only a real risk tests the reality of a belief". ~C.S. Lewis
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6: 25-34
So, don't spend so much time worrying over the problems and decisions you will face in this life. Instead, let God in to help guide you and lend you strength. He does love us after all. "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand". Isaiah 41:10
Whose life are you really choosing to live? Strive to make yours holy to God's rather than mans'.*
"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." ~Oscar Wilde
Seeking to live,
Whitney
Seeking to live,
Whitney
