As a recent college graduate I have been submitting my resume via the internet and patiently awaiting responses for about 2 months now. The anticipation of a possible new job venture is both exhilarating and terrifying; a new job means more money, new responsibilities, and new co-workers. When you’ve worked at the same place for over 3 years, a new job is a little daunting. Despite my above mentioned fears another that I had not anticipated crept up on me this morning as I was checking my emails.
In not so many words, it was the fear of rejection!
I sat staring at my inbox that held an obvious response to one of my resume submissions I felt my heart rate begin to intensify rather quickly. You know the feeling you get when you begin anticipating the worst. Well the worst for me would be that my potential employer thought me unworthy of the job.
While I sat waiting to draw up enough courage to face my perceived rejection, I realized how ridiculous I was acting. So what if I did not suit that particular company, there are plenty of others out there with just as promising opportunities that I had not even applied for yet. Basically I was finding my worth in whether or not someone found me hirable.
Why?
One of the scariest things in my life is dealing with the thought of failure. Growing up you hear what great things you can accomplish but when it comes time to achieve these goals, what do you do if you can’t figure out how to define success in your life? Sure there are some of us who are meant to be great things out in the world but what if some of us are meant to do great things for the world? Too many times we get caught up in our dreams, our goals, our lives and we forget that this life is not about us.
After getting frustrated with myself I remembered reading this amazing commencement from this blog I read on Bounless' Web site that had challenged my thinking just yesterday...I'm a slow learner obviously. In the Boundless article the author said “God cares about the kind of person you will be even more than about what kind of things you will do.”
How quick we forget that the measure of a man (or woman) is his character rather than his bank account! So if the God who created the universe and every possible job that I could ever do cares less about the details of my day to day tasks and more about me as a representation of Him, why do I put so much emphasis on a job? We get so distracted by the world’s idea of success and forget how the bible measures success…to be a successful Christian you need only go and tell. The greatest commandment Christ ever gave was to go and tell others about Him
Whether we’re meant to be a teacher, lawyer, mom or whatever else we can imagine, as long as we are lifting high the name of Christ, “there will be something about your motherhood, teaching, preaching, lawmaking or machinery-making that transcends and glorifies motherhood, teaching, preaching, law-making or machinery-making, because it speaks undeniably of Him.”
June 14, 2009
October 29, 2008
Get Over Yourself!
It’s about time we all “got over ourselves;” why do we assume we are the center of the universe? I realize that no one ever will seriously say the world revolves around them because believe me I’m not about to do it either. HA if you think I’m getting up in front of a crowd and informing them that I’m the most important person in the room then you are sorely mistaken, but isn’t that how we are living our lives?
Maybe we don’t verbalize our great love for ourselves but we show it by our actions. We spend a ridiculous amount of money on clothes, food, and cars because we have to take care of ourselves. We pamper ourselves with a day at the spa or a round on the golf course. Don’t get me wrong I love doing these things, shopping is one of my favorite hobbies, but we get so caught up in ourselves that we forget who made us; we forget that the point of our existence is to bring God glory.
I’m reading a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan, in it he talks about having an abandoned love for God that transcends anything we’ve ever imagined; a love that changes our very thought process so that we are no longer consumed with our lives and our small world but we are able to see who God really is so that we can get a glimpse of His bigger picture. If we, for one millisecond, are able to get a fraction of an idea of who God really is, and I don’t mean the God we have placed in a convenient box that we take out while we’re at church and occasionally in the comfort of our homes, I mean the God who made the world and everything in it; the God who sent His son to die on a tree for past, present, and future sins of the world; the God who gives us the best He has for us simply because He loves us. When we see this God, only then will we realize our smallness in comparison. Not until we’ve realized our nothingness can we ever take our focus off of ourselves and place it on the only One who matters.
By shifting our focus, our lives then begin to look like those patriarchs of the Bible, ones who did whatever it took to follow Christ’s call to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…and love your neighbor as yourself.” Understanding the complexity of who God is helps remind us that our “one woman (or man) show” has no place in His ultimate plan. He allows us each to have a small role but we have to understand that His will is what will be accomplished; love the world like He loves the world.
As I thought about this I began asking myself the tough questions: how much would my bank statement change if I was truly loving those in need, what would my prayers sound like if my mind was on lost souls, would it really be a struggle to make it to church every Sunday morning, night and Wednesday night? I challenge you, whoever God has lead to read this, to question what impact you can have on the people around you. We all have people in our lives that need Jesus but how many times have we shied away from sharing…here’s our chance to show people that unconditional love God has for everyone and isn't that what we're all looking for?
Maybe we don’t verbalize our great love for ourselves but we show it by our actions. We spend a ridiculous amount of money on clothes, food, and cars because we have to take care of ourselves. We pamper ourselves with a day at the spa or a round on the golf course. Don’t get me wrong I love doing these things, shopping is one of my favorite hobbies, but we get so caught up in ourselves that we forget who made us; we forget that the point of our existence is to bring God glory.
I’m reading a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan, in it he talks about having an abandoned love for God that transcends anything we’ve ever imagined; a love that changes our very thought process so that we are no longer consumed with our lives and our small world but we are able to see who God really is so that we can get a glimpse of His bigger picture. If we, for one millisecond, are able to get a fraction of an idea of who God really is, and I don’t mean the God we have placed in a convenient box that we take out while we’re at church and occasionally in the comfort of our homes, I mean the God who made the world and everything in it; the God who sent His son to die on a tree for past, present, and future sins of the world; the God who gives us the best He has for us simply because He loves us. When we see this God, only then will we realize our smallness in comparison. Not until we’ve realized our nothingness can we ever take our focus off of ourselves and place it on the only One who matters.
By shifting our focus, our lives then begin to look like those patriarchs of the Bible, ones who did whatever it took to follow Christ’s call to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength…and love your neighbor as yourself.” Understanding the complexity of who God is helps remind us that our “one woman (or man) show” has no place in His ultimate plan. He allows us each to have a small role but we have to understand that His will is what will be accomplished; love the world like He loves the world.
As I thought about this I began asking myself the tough questions: how much would my bank statement change if I was truly loving those in need, what would my prayers sound like if my mind was on lost souls, would it really be a struggle to make it to church every Sunday morning, night and Wednesday night? I challenge you, whoever God has lead to read this, to question what impact you can have on the people around you. We all have people in our lives that need Jesus but how many times have we shied away from sharing…here’s our chance to show people that unconditional love God has for everyone and isn't that what we're all looking for?
September 30, 2008
Paying Attention
Do you ever have that moment when you realize that God is totally paying attention to what’s going on in your life? I had one of those moments today. I’ve been a little frustrated lately with the way my life felt as if it were at a stand still. You feel even more pathetic when you see people around you and their lives seem to be right on track. I know it’s not their fault it's just harder for you to stay positive...know what I mean?!
One of my best friends just graduated from college, has an awesome job opportunity, not to mention a new boyfriend who she adores, and while I’m unbelievably happy for her I have been secretly envious; not jealous, because jealousy conveys an idea that I don’t want her to have all these awesome things when that isn’t the case at all, just envious that I can’t have the same blessings. Make sense?! Well anyways, I’ve been looking for the things I’m lacking like a boyfriend, job that uses my skills more, basically some sort of feeling that I have something good going for me.
While I know that I’m very blessed it gets hard to stay positive when it seems like you aren’t making progress and I’ve always been told if you aren’t moving forward you must be falling behind. To get to the point, there is this guy in one of my classes who is attractive and seems somewhat interested by his comments and the fact that I always notice him staring. He is definitely not my idea of boyfriend material but I’ve caught myself drifting toward the idea of seeing what would happen. Dumb idea, of course, but that’s the point that we can easily get to when we are looking to outside sources for contentment. Anyways, we understand the state that I am in at the moment and then today I get this email from an awesome Christian friend who informs me that a guy I’ve thought is “Mr. Perfect” is soon to be moving within 100 miles of here. Now I’m not saying that it was a sign from God that we are meant-to-be because I’m not that delusional, but it was a subtle reminder that I should never lower my standards just because I am lonely or unhappy. God has an amazingly awesome guy for me if I just wait patiently.
Well for those who would say that I’m being too quick to jump to another conclusion, let me just mention that that was not the only little hint from God that I’ve gotten today. As I was checking my email earlier I saw I had an email from the communication organization that I am a member of for school. I get way too many emails from them but I always feel like I have to at least open them, so I open this one and begin reading and this is what it said, “As much as I enjoy instant gratification, I know that sometimes it takes time to achieve the desired result. For instance, I learned to crawl before I walked, to walk before I ran. Therefore, I don't fight time; I recognize that it's on my side. All that needs to happen can happen quickly; it may also take time for the perfect result to appear. So I cooperate with God as the fulfillment of the perfect plan unfolds.” (no clue who wrote this or I'd give them credit)
I’m not sure how much clearer God has to be; I get it, thanks God! He has a perfect plan for my life like He said in Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you…plans to give you a hope and a future.” So why do I ever doubt His plan? I will never be happy if I do it all by myself just because I was impatient or thought God forgot. In order to be truly happy I know it has to be His timing, His way, but it is nice, every now and then, to be reminded that He hasn’t forgotten about me.
One of my best friends just graduated from college, has an awesome job opportunity, not to mention a new boyfriend who she adores, and while I’m unbelievably happy for her I have been secretly envious; not jealous, because jealousy conveys an idea that I don’t want her to have all these awesome things when that isn’t the case at all, just envious that I can’t have the same blessings. Make sense?! Well anyways, I’ve been looking for the things I’m lacking like a boyfriend, job that uses my skills more, basically some sort of feeling that I have something good going for me.
While I know that I’m very blessed it gets hard to stay positive when it seems like you aren’t making progress and I’ve always been told if you aren’t moving forward you must be falling behind. To get to the point, there is this guy in one of my classes who is attractive and seems somewhat interested by his comments and the fact that I always notice him staring. He is definitely not my idea of boyfriend material but I’ve caught myself drifting toward the idea of seeing what would happen. Dumb idea, of course, but that’s the point that we can easily get to when we are looking to outside sources for contentment. Anyways, we understand the state that I am in at the moment and then today I get this email from an awesome Christian friend who informs me that a guy I’ve thought is “Mr. Perfect” is soon to be moving within 100 miles of here. Now I’m not saying that it was a sign from God that we are meant-to-be because I’m not that delusional, but it was a subtle reminder that I should never lower my standards just because I am lonely or unhappy. God has an amazingly awesome guy for me if I just wait patiently.
Well for those who would say that I’m being too quick to jump to another conclusion, let me just mention that that was not the only little hint from God that I’ve gotten today. As I was checking my email earlier I saw I had an email from the communication organization that I am a member of for school. I get way too many emails from them but I always feel like I have to at least open them, so I open this one and begin reading and this is what it said, “As much as I enjoy instant gratification, I know that sometimes it takes time to achieve the desired result. For instance, I learned to crawl before I walked, to walk before I ran. Therefore, I don't fight time; I recognize that it's on my side. All that needs to happen can happen quickly; it may also take time for the perfect result to appear. So I cooperate with God as the fulfillment of the perfect plan unfolds.” (no clue who wrote this or I'd give them credit)
I’m not sure how much clearer God has to be; I get it, thanks God! He has a perfect plan for my life like He said in Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you…plans to give you a hope and a future.” So why do I ever doubt His plan? I will never be happy if I do it all by myself just because I was impatient or thought God forgot. In order to be truly happy I know it has to be His timing, His way, but it is nice, every now and then, to be reminded that He hasn’t forgotten about me.
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