I'm on a hunt, scouring the underbrush and high mesas, looking for my real self, the one that God had in mind when He thought me up. The one who is, in his Age to Come substance,an expression of the full humanity of Jesus. This journey has been rising up in me for a year now, but it has been most fruitful in the last 3 months. Here's a taste of what I have uncovered. . .
My real self comes only when I stop playing God. When I stop taking responsibility for everyone around me and for what only God can do.
My real self shows up when I'm serene, accepting what I cannot change.
The question "what do I want?" is important to answer prior to listening to "I must/I should/I have to." One cannot discover one's identity, glory, and the will of God without getting in touch with one's affections (Jonathan Edwards).
I must allow God to father me where I have not been fathered by others, if I would know my real self.
The real Paul, God told me, is courageous, and it's already present in my life.
Full humanity requires rejecting and renouncing and grieving all the lies I have believed and embraced for all these years. I have named and renounced 8 lies thus far.
The real Paul prays for my enemies, for all who have hurt me and for whom I have held resentment.
The real person God made me to be owns my part. Cleans up my side of the street. Period.
It's a great wilderness sojourn. The desolation is only to be matched by the stark, stunning beauty of the landscape I'm finding. I hope you'll follow me in.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Uncommon, couragous wisdom you've written here. It's rare to be reminded that we cannot give away what we do not have. So often we can feel driven to save the world as a disguise for our actual(much darker)urge to control it. Our own heart's liberation is what God longs to use to liberate those around us. Only when we are freely our real selves can we become vessels of real freedom for others--no matter if it's poverty, oppression or disease that enslaves them. This is the Jesus way. Thanks so much for your blog.
Post a Comment