Thursday, March 4, 2010

Who do you want to be?

I'm amazed by the insights God grants. There's pictures of it in Scripture, just look at 2 Kings 6:15-16. Elisha and his servant are surrounded by the enemy army and Elisha says,"O Lord, open the eyes of your servant, so that he may see." In this very moment his servant is able to see what he was not previously able to see. John Ortberg is a pastor and author who shares great insight in his new book, "The Me I Want to Be" becoming God's best version of you.

Don't you just love that God still does that today? Gives insight. Cuz, when He does, we change, our hearts change, from stone to flesh,fear to courage, hate to love, hopelessness to hopefulness, harsh to soft, unkind to kind, pride to humility...and yet, I have talked with many Christ-followers and not-Christ-followers who struggle with an unspoken fear or belief that God wants to change "me" in to something I don't want to be. A Sunday morning from 16 years ago replayed in my mind just the other day and as it did, I understood that it was the soft nudging of the Holy Spirit. Our son was just three years old and we were all getting ready for church. I had purchased his, first, 3-piece suit, it was navy blue and I had had to save up to purchase it. He looked like this, cutest, little man, I was beaming! But something was wrong, he wasn't beaming back at me. Then I noticed,tears were welling up in those big, beautiful green eyes and I watched the slow, soft flutter of his long eyelashes knock those tears down on to his little boy cheeks, and then, came... the cry! We thought something was pinching him, you know those moments, I didn't have a clue why, my son, was now crying uncontrollably. His dad finally asks, "Son, why are you crying?" It was the release valve. "I don't wanna be a preacher!" That's when his dad came to his rescue, "Get that suit off of him." Needless to say he never wore that suit! He was only three, but the conflict already existed.

God does not want to turn us in to people we wouldn't want to be, but... I pray that you and me become God's best version of ourselves. There is great freedom and joy to be experienced in that place.

Psalm 139:13-15 For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;your works are wonderful,I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Kim,

That is totally awesome! Thank you for sharing that story and encouraging those who read it that God created us and the desires and talents within us and that He desires to fill us and fulfill us as we grow closer to Him! Amen!!