Everything Under the Son
Because JESUS is my everything
Who Am I?
Sunday, March 22, 2009
I heard an excellent sermon at church this morning and it really has me thinking about some things. When I look in the mirror, who am I? Tough question...tough answer. You see, I put limitations on myself (who I am and why I am here) because of what I see when I look in the mirror. I see a scraggly, overweight, crazy-haired housewife, who has too many freckles and could really use a makeover, complete with a tan! It isn't pretty. I see someone who is afraid to step out because she is afraid of rejection. I see someone who doesn't value herself much because she KNOWS all of her failures. I see all of the things I am NOT.
The problem is, I am looking in the mirror and seeing myself through my own eyes, when what I need to do is pull out my God-glasses and take a look. I know that if I did, I would see things quite differently. I need to believe that He put me in this skin for a reason, and then I need to chase the reason and fulfill His goals for me. I need to look into that mirror and see all of the things that I AM! How exciting that would be!
So what is my purpose? Why do I have this skin? I like to think that my dreams align with God's purpose for me. I like to think that someday, somehow, my dream of singing and speaking will come true. Singing praises to Him, and speaking His grace and hope to others...these are my dreams. I have NO IDEA how to get started. I have NO IDEA where to go to start the journey. But I do believe that God has made me for such things as this...praising Him in song, and speaking of the hope He provides me.
This skin, these dreams...all provided by my Heavenly Father. I am the daughter of the King! How cool is that! So I have a new prayer...that I can wear my God-glasses and begin to see myself the way God sees me. I can't begin to imagine the joy that I will find when I see myself, and OTHERS through the eyes of God.
As I pray for my very own pair of God-glasses, I will pray that He will give you all a pair too. I will pray that He will give us the ability to see what we ARE instead of what we are not.
Who am I? Daughter of the King.
Why am I here? To follow His call
What about you?
The problem is, I am looking in the mirror and seeing myself through my own eyes, when what I need to do is pull out my God-glasses and take a look. I know that if I did, I would see things quite differently. I need to believe that He put me in this skin for a reason, and then I need to chase the reason and fulfill His goals for me. I need to look into that mirror and see all of the things that I AM! How exciting that would be!
So what is my purpose? Why do I have this skin? I like to think that my dreams align with God's purpose for me. I like to think that someday, somehow, my dream of singing and speaking will come true. Singing praises to Him, and speaking His grace and hope to others...these are my dreams. I have NO IDEA how to get started. I have NO IDEA where to go to start the journey. But I do believe that God has made me for such things as this...praising Him in song, and speaking of the hope He provides me.
This skin, these dreams...all provided by my Heavenly Father. I am the daughter of the King! How cool is that! So I have a new prayer...that I can wear my God-glasses and begin to see myself the way God sees me. I can't begin to imagine the joy that I will find when I see myself, and OTHERS through the eyes of God.
As I pray for my very own pair of God-glasses, I will pray that He will give you all a pair too. I will pray that He will give us the ability to see what we ARE instead of what we are not.
Who am I? Daughter of the King.
Why am I here? To follow His call
What about you?
posted by Anne, 8:42 PM
2 Comments:
You are beautiful, inside and out, Anne. And freckles? Angel kisses.
Ray Vander Laan tells the story of Rabbi Akiva (I believe - late 1st Century A.D. and early 2nd) who absent-mindedly turned left instead of right one late night when walking home. Without noticing, he had come upon a Roman garrison, and from the dark of the night he was suddenly startled to hear a voice booming out at him: "Halt, who are you, and what are you doing here?!"
Startled, Akiva, replied back, "How much do you make asking these questions?"
The soldier, startled in turn, stammered, and then replied that he made X amount of money per week.
Akiva then said, "I'll give you twice that if you'll challenge me each morning as I leave my house with those questions."
(I'm paraphrasing slightly based on poor memory.)
The point is that whereas Westerners tend to focus on the one question, "Who am I?", the Eastern mind focuses more on, "What am I doing here?" I think the story above highlights the importance of both questions.
"What am I doing here?"
Startled, Akiva, replied back, "How much do you make asking these questions?"
The soldier, startled in turn, stammered, and then replied that he made X amount of money per week.
Akiva then said, "I'll give you twice that if you'll challenge me each morning as I leave my house with those questions."
(I'm paraphrasing slightly based on poor memory.)
The point is that whereas Westerners tend to focus on the one question, "Who am I?", the Eastern mind focuses more on, "What am I doing here?" I think the story above highlights the importance of both questions.
"What am I doing here?"
