Ok...so it's going to be one of those blogs! You know...a controversial "God" post...
Yeah...i think it's going to be...
I have heard this statement most of my life. God has called you to be MORE...to be SPECIAL, to make a difference...yada yada yada...fill in the blank.
I read this statement on Instagram. It was a part of a post that was placed on social media by a famous man who claims publicly to be a follower of Jesus. I have no reason to doubt his faith is genuine and that he has nothing but the purest of intent. I am not doubting any of those things...however, it caused me to pause. To dive into that statement and the validity of it.
Let me start at the genesis of this thought. Can we tie our Faith and God to this motivational statement? The "empowerment movement", the "success movement" and the "be your best self movement" are legit and are very helpful for those people trying to better themselves. I get it...I really do... this stuff motivates me and helps me everyday!! BUT - my struggle comes when you tie that to what GOD called you to...let me explain...
"God doesn't call us to be average" was the statement. My take on this is...Is not being average our goal? Is not being average what God has CALLED us to? What do you mean by that?? What does this statement mean to you? ( I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments!)
When I dive deeper into this kind of talk...these kind of statements tend to push people toward being successful in their business, more influential in politics, making more money, having a bigger following, writing a best seller, having a famous blog or podcast...you name it - this tends to be our defining moments when it comes to "God's Blessing" or what "God has called us to be". It's kind of a motivational gospel that "calls" us to climb the corporate ladder or build a successful business, or buy a bigger home...or...or...
That is the slant I read...perhaps it's just me. But I am not convinced that "God doesn't call us to be average" is a God idea at all...BOOM! Yeah...I told you.
What about the person being thought of as "less than" because of their faith in Jesus... what about the person being misunderstood or being mocked for their faith OR being ridiculed and beaten down and then still loving that person anyway... What about the Jesus follower who is placed in prison because of their faith... What about loving those that hate us... Didn't Jesus call us to be a witness to the love, grace and mercy of our Saviour to a world that just wants to be "better than average". Doesn't that sound more like "Jesus"??
Doesn't God call us to LOVE? Shouldn't our calling be to LOVE? I don't see "success" as a calling from God. "They will know we are Christians by our LOVE", not how much we achieved!
Let me make this personal for a minute...
I have forgotten who it is that I say I follow. I have forgotten what it is HE called me to do. I have been caught up in the standards of my culture. We are called to be "set apart".
I HAVE LOST MY WAY!
If a statement of faith is not applicable around the world, perhaps it is tainted with too much of our culture and not enough of HIS!
ponder...think...pray!
humbly submitted,
Kevin
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