Be Who God Made You To Be

Sometimes we have to trust

that what God is doing in our heart

and through our lives

is exactly what He meant it to be.

I mean this:

God saved you and you know 

that He did.

You know He is real 

and something happened inside of you

in that moment.

The journey has been quite something.

You can look back

and it stretches for miles on end.

What a picture of valleys,

mountains, terrible storms, 

deep penetrating darkness,

rainbows, jagged rocks, 

dead ends, betrayals, 

sometimes misled 

by this one or that you've met

on the footpath.

You've talked with God

along this way.

He told you to take His hand

and to trust in His everlasting arms.

You felt things.

You heard His call.

Your heart tugged in directions.

And you've moved in them.

You love Him.

You pray over and over 

that you want to be like Him.

And you do things 

that are strange - even to you.

People react.

They even accuse.

They whisper 

and use your background

against you.

They become suspicious.

They speak their thoughts

to your friends and family

and everyone turns against you.

Your human side 

doesn't always see the fight.

Your human side doesn't 

always know what to do 

in the face of the real injustices

that come from too many sides.

The human side wants to fight back

and lash at those ones 

that should have been on your side

to love and protect you.

It's easy to want to retaliate.

Retaliation is a natural human instinct.

So is talking about others

just like they did to you,

gossip back, be angry

and God forbid - 

even much much worse.

But what if you realized this 

is the plan.

Christ in you is Christ

whom the world despised and rejected.

He was acquainted with sorrow

and grief.  He was rejected.

He was talked about behind his back

and His character smeared.

His good intentions were doubted.

And even before He was crucified,

He stood before them,

and said nothing at all.

His own defense would 

never save Him.

In fact, it would have made

the situation worse.

The accusers could have said,

"Aha!  He is really what we say.

A retaliater, a madman, crazy 

and deranged. 

His only choice in the face of it all,

was to go to the cross

and allow Himself to be crucified.

And this is our choice as well.

Our best choice.

"Only God can save Him".

And only God can save us.

Trust that those changes 

He has made in your life

are truly His.

And direct all your feelings,

loneliness, injustices and loss

with Him.

Let Him encourage you 

with His Words of life

as you read the bible.

Let the songs He puts in your heart

minister to you.

Go somewhere rejuvenating

with a roll of paper towels 

and let it all out to Him.

Turn off the Facebook

of those who have wounded you

so that you don't become

re-offended over and over.

Find your solace and friendship 

in God and in His peace.

Comfort yourself with Him.

And walk with Him anew.

Repeat often as needed

until the two of you become one.

Oh my friend,

if I could encourage you -

let your eyes look straight ahead.

Follow the light, walk in the light

and avoid the misdeeds of darkness.

Your light will shine before all men.

They will see your good deeds

and they will glorify your Father 

in Heaven.

Be.  Be who God made you to be.

Shine His light.

Reflect Him like the mirrors 

surrounding the bright light 

at the top of a lighthouse.

I just saw this on Facebook 

after I wrote this note:

"Jesus warned His disciples that they would be treated as nobodies; He never said they would be brilliant or marvellous. We all have a lurking desire to be exhibitions for God, to be put, as it were, in His show room. Jesus does not want us to be specimens; He wants us to be so taken up with Him that we never think about ourselves, and the only impression left on others by our life is that Jesus Christ is having unhindered way." --Oswald Chambers, in So Send I You from The Quotable Oswald Chambers.