Lean In

Don’t you just love how God teaches and guides us? Sometimes, it's like a whisper and we have to listen very closely and think about what He is trying to show us. Other times, it's so unmistakable that we can't help but be giddy because it's just so obvious. Whichever way He chooses to guide us, there is one thing we can be sure of:  He is constantly speaking to us, guiding us and giving us wisdom to tackle our everyday lives.

There is such comfort in knowing that we are not alone in whatever landscape we find ourselves. The key is learning to hear His distinctive voice and trusting His specific direction.  The more we lean in to Him, the better we are at discerning His voice. The more we are able to discern His voice, the more confident we become in trusting His guidance.  When we can trust Him, life becomes a more peaceful place. It doesn’t mean that life won’t hit us. It just means that when it does, it won’t have the power to shake us so much.  We can walk in peace and confidence that He has our backs.

Working Through Opposition

Greg DePriest, my pastor, recently stated this quote:  “I’ve learned to value people over being right. When self has to be right, it becomes self-righteous.” God has called us to leadership. Our work ethic and drive should be markedly different than someone who is not a Christian. It should be in our very nature to want to excel in all that we do because we are representatives of the One Most High.

However, when we strive to excel in life or perform our best, our idea of how we need to tackle a project, problem or task shouldn’t be the lone voice that we listen to.  Over achievers want to do things right the first time, on their own.  We don’t want to ‘need’ the input of others to be successful.  It’s okay for us to ask advice, but unwanted advice should be left unsaid.  Living in the façade that we are perfect is a better choice than taking unwanted advice that speaks truth and wisdom and reveals the reality that we need help.

When this happens, our first response is to react defensively.  We immediately reject, justify and counter attack.  When we react this way, we are choosing to reject a vital means by which God imparts wisdom.  God uses other people to grow us in invaluable ways. Sometimes, it’s not even about the project that we’re working on. It’s about valuing the insight of others. It’s about living with humility and accepting the knowledge and wisdom of those around you.  I once heard Jenni Catron say it very wisely:  "We are so busy doing our work that we forget that we are God’s work."  The next time someone offers you unwanted advice. Stop. Focus on not verbally reacting.  Listen and analyze the information. Is there any truth to what they are saying?  Respond with humility. Value their insight and thank God for the opportunity to grow.

Proverbs 12:15  Proverbs 19: 27  Proverbs 11: 14  James 1: 19

Tenacity and Persistence

As Christians, growth is mandatory. God is never satisfied with our status quo. He loves us. His goal is for us to become the individual He has predestined us to be: who puts Him first and loves others. There are times in our lives where we are actively seeking that personal growth. It’s during those times that we gain wisdom through God’s Word, prayer or the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Those are sweet moments with our Savior and we should cherish them.  However, sometimes that growth isn’t all roses and rainbows.  It comes from life’s troubling circumstances, trials or even some sin that we might carry.  It’s during these hard times that we often become burdened and weighted down by our on self-condemnation.  We focus so much on our inadequacies that we let negative self-doubt and dissatisfaction cling to us and that becomes our 'soul' focus.  We look only at our inadequacies of today and can’t see the possibilities of tomorrow. 

God wants us to grow out of love. He wants us to focus on Christ and His resurrection as we become more self-aware and propelled into action.  God gives us power, tenacity and the ability to be persistent. Tenacity and persistence are the keys to success. If we never quit, sooner or later, we’ve got to get it right.  Our job is to cling to the hope that through Him, tomorrow we can be/do better and in the meantime…accept the peace He offers us during the process.