You Don't Have To Have It Altogether
Earlier today in chapel, there was a time when a mike was being passed around and people were given a chance to say something that God was teaching them lately. Many times when this happens I always wonder if I should take the mike and share. Sometimes, I end up chickening out because I am terrified of speaking in front of a big group of people and other times I just question if I have anything valuable to contribute. Today was different. Though my heart was pounding and my thoughts were racing as I imagined myself holding this mike, stumbling over my words, I decided that I was gonna share. Unfortunately, time wrapped up just I was ready to raise my hand which is why I’m writing this post because I still wanted to share this.
That being said, something that God has been teaching me lately well, more like humbling me lately to see is that not only do I not have to have it altogether, but that I really don’t have it altogether. And if I try to fight a temptation or a struggle on my own, I will probably fail. I know I easily can fool myself into thinking that I have it altogether. I can overcome this because I read my Bible. I can avoid being this way because I take time to pray. I will fight this struggle because I wrote these verses on post-it notes everywhere. Notice I keep saying “I”. Don’t get me wrong, I think all these things are really good habits but if we’re trying to do these things by our own strength and motivation, we are going to fail.
See, I feel like it's really easy for us to feel like we have to fit this "perfect" Christian image. We feel that if we do everything "right" that we'll be good to go. The thing is though there is no such thing as a "perfect" Christian. Because no matter how things may appear on the outside, chances are there's a whole lot of stuff going on in the inside of each of us. When our insides start to spill out on our outsides, we panic and try to cover it up. Instead of covering it up though we should confess it to God and then not pick it up again. Christ has taken care of it, if we repent, we're forgiven and we don't need to pick it up and hold on to shame. It's done. The temptation will always be there but what matters is how we respond to it. We won't be able to respond to it well without God.
God has been challenging me to start saying each day, “I need You”. I need You to get through this day. I need You to speak truth into my life. I need You to fight this for me. I need You to remind me what You’ve done. And I need You to help me love You. I need You to help me to care to take time to read Your word. And it’s amazing what a difference it makes when you start admitting to yourself that you need God every single day. You can’t get through a day without Him. You really don’t have it altogether and if you overcome anything at all, it’s only going to be because of Him.
One of my favorite verses is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong”
He has given us His Son, to cover the cracks, to be our hope and strength where we have none. And honestly, I feel like God is actually doing us a favor when He shows us we don’t have it altogether because we were never meant to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, we can’t. So it’s actually easier on us when we do surrender to Him and give up trying to do stuff by our own strength and make all the pieces fit together nicely. It’s refreshing to just throw your hands up and say, “here I am, I don’t know what I am doing here, I need You to work in me and I need You to remind me again and again what your Son has done for me and the strength that is found in You. And I need You to help me figure out who I am in You.”
And you know what’s so neat-He actually does it. I know right? Who would have thought that God would actually work in you to have strength to fight things and to be daily in awe of Him ? :)
Okay sarcasm aside, I want you to know today that it's okay if you don't have it altogether, you're human, you're gonna mess up but you still need to come to God. You can't just sit there and let things bubble up and overtake. You do need to admit to Him what you're wrestling through, seek forgiveness and then don't dwell on it. Embrace the grace God has given you and daily lean on Him each day. Allow Him to mold you into the image He wants you to be not the "ideal" Christian that we compare ourselves to that isn't even out there in the world.
That being said, something that God has been teaching me lately well, more like humbling me lately to see is that not only do I not have to have it altogether, but that I really don’t have it altogether. And if I try to fight a temptation or a struggle on my own, I will probably fail. I know I easily can fool myself into thinking that I have it altogether. I can overcome this because I read my Bible. I can avoid being this way because I take time to pray. I will fight this struggle because I wrote these verses on post-it notes everywhere. Notice I keep saying “I”. Don’t get me wrong, I think all these things are really good habits but if we’re trying to do these things by our own strength and motivation, we are going to fail.
See, I feel like it's really easy for us to feel like we have to fit this "perfect" Christian image. We feel that if we do everything "right" that we'll be good to go. The thing is though there is no such thing as a "perfect" Christian. Because no matter how things may appear on the outside, chances are there's a whole lot of stuff going on in the inside of each of us. When our insides start to spill out on our outsides, we panic and try to cover it up. Instead of covering it up though we should confess it to God and then not pick it up again. Christ has taken care of it, if we repent, we're forgiven and we don't need to pick it up and hold on to shame. It's done. The temptation will always be there but what matters is how we respond to it. We won't be able to respond to it well without God.
God has been challenging me to start saying each day, “I need You”. I need You to get through this day. I need You to speak truth into my life. I need You to fight this for me. I need You to remind me what You’ve done. And I need You to help me love You. I need You to help me to care to take time to read Your word. And it’s amazing what a difference it makes when you start admitting to yourself that you need God every single day. You can’t get through a day without Him. You really don’t have it altogether and if you overcome anything at all, it’s only going to be because of Him.
One of my favorite verses is 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, “But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong”
He has given us His Son, to cover the cracks, to be our hope and strength where we have none. And honestly, I feel like God is actually doing us a favor when He shows us we don’t have it altogether because we were never meant to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders, we can’t. So it’s actually easier on us when we do surrender to Him and give up trying to do stuff by our own strength and make all the pieces fit together nicely. It’s refreshing to just throw your hands up and say, “here I am, I don’t know what I am doing here, I need You to work in me and I need You to remind me again and again what your Son has done for me and the strength that is found in You. And I need You to help me figure out who I am in You.”
And you know what’s so neat-He actually does it. I know right? Who would have thought that God would actually work in you to have strength to fight things and to be daily in awe of Him ? :)
Okay sarcasm aside, I want you to know today that it's okay if you don't have it altogether, you're human, you're gonna mess up but you still need to come to God. You can't just sit there and let things bubble up and overtake. You do need to admit to Him what you're wrestling through, seek forgiveness and then don't dwell on it. Embrace the grace God has given you and daily lean on Him each day. Allow Him to mold you into the image He wants you to be not the "ideal" Christian that we compare ourselves to that isn't even out there in the world.
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