Gift Number Seventeen — JC's Village

Yesterday I wrote about how I was struck by God’s perspective on us. Today I’d like to give you the gift of seeing your life right now through a different lens. Some of the hardest situations I’ve had to face - I couldn’t stand to face till I started praying for God to give me His perspective on those circumstances. If you’ve known me for very long - then you might know some of the situations I’m talking about.

Sixteen gifts of encouragement, hope, healing - and I stand by every single one. Today’s is a little different.

Today - I’m going to be your coach. Or - maybe you’ll feel like I’m your drill instructor.

Have you prayed for God to make you wise? Have you prayed for God to make you strong? Or have you prayed that he’d teach you how to walk more closely with Him. I only ask - because I’ve asked for all those things - plus humility, patience, and all that other stuff they say not to pray for.

Can I tell you one of the biggest barriers to growing our walk deeper with God? We take it personally when it’s not easy. It’s often not easy. That’s okay. It’s sometimes painful. That’s okay too. Sometimes, God putting us in circumstances designed to mature us is uncomfortably realistic in how it reveals that I’m not quite as awesome as I thought I was. Sometimes - His lessons reveal that I expected to grow wise and mature and capable - with a whole perfectly shiny, crisp, slick life devoid of my usual day-to-day embarrassing shortcomings.

Honestly - one of the worst barriers to my having the walk with God I’ve always wanted is me - and how I have this messed up idea that it’s glamorous, glorious, and perfect to walk more closely with Him.

Turns out that walking more closely with him - I’m learning - looks like holes in my socks, a less than perfect house, an older car - that probably needs something - relationships that aren’t “perfect” (whatever that might mean), a string of really imperfect days full of uncertainty, big questions, unanswered questions, problems I’m not quite sure how to resolve, some thing going on that leaves me wondering “how long can I keep doing this?! And a whole host of other similar stuff.

Yet - YET - in the midst of all that - still the lights are on, the house is warm, I end phone calls with “I love you” or “I love you too!” Some things get better. I keep asking God to show me His way through this wilderness - and in some tiny way - I feel like I should go, um, … that way. But most importantly - I celebrate the heck out of whatever the thing is that went okay - because THAT action is how you really start to grow real gratitude for what God is doing instead of what I do when I’m weaker - and I whine and whine about all that’s not “just so.”

You know - at this point - I think God and I have totally different ideas about what “just so” even means. And that’s okay too - especially as I step out more and more and take on His perspective on my life then it will be okay.

I think God likes it when I lean hard on Him and let go of all my expectations.

Perhaps for such a season as this - He is answering our most heart-felt prayers for growth, wisdom, richness of faith and all the rest of those things - and if we take a bit more of His perspective on this moment we can give ourselves some credit. We have all grown much.