The Value of Us

Every healthy person I know would say there is value in having the influence of other people in their life. What people mean by this however, can be vastly different.

Many people see the value when it means having people that cheer them on. Others see the value in having people who are like-minded share ideas and thoughts amongst themselves. There are also people, although it is a smaller group, who enjoy friendships with people who see things differently than them, in order to see a different perspective.

These are all valuable and important relationships. Certainly none of them are bad, but there is another category I want to talk about.

Sometimes God will put people in our lives that we do not get along with, or we do not see eye to eye with. Our viewpoints on most topics are different and we even find conversations with them to be taxing or forced.

Even still, these relationships are extremely important. No, I am not a glutton for punishment, and no I don't believe meanness is a secret blessing. What I do believe is the we are meant to grow, and these types of relationships can be the ones that help us to grow the most.

James 1:2-4 says, Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

When someone is cheering me on, I want to believe it's true, so I am quick to accept their words as truth. When I see eye to eye on a topic with someone, I naturally see the strength in their argument, and will likely accept it as fact.  When I get along with someone it's easy to see their perspective, and even if it's different than mine, see value in it.

When I am talking with someone that I don't naturally get along with, that I don't see eye to eye with, that I'm not sure if they're for me...  this reveals some deeper truths about me. I know I'm supposed to love people even when they're different, do I? I know I'm supposed to serve others even when they aren't serving me, will I? I know I'm supposed see people as valuable even when I am unable to see the value plainly, can I?

There is incredible value to be found in community with others, whether in your church, your workplace, your community, or your home. Some of that value is found in the pressure and tension of these types of relationships.

My challenge to you is to consider how are you leaning into these types of connections. Do you write them off as odd, or misguided? Do you assume that you aren't meant to dialogue? Do you avoid them all together?

Maybe they won't ever be your closest friend or a trusted confidant, but maybe they will. One thing I know for sure, is they are not a mistake, and their presence in your life is not a coincidence. So what are you going to do about it?

Are You Planting or Staring at Your Seed?

A few weeks back, I was listening to a podcast, and the speaker spoke about the process of a seed. It encouraged me so much, and I've been thinking about it since then. I want to share with you some of what the speaker said, and some of what God has stirred in me since then.

When you look at a seed, it is obviously doing nothing, it doesn't show any signs of life, it doesn't show any promise, and if you didn't know any better, you would certainly not believe that it showed any potential for growth. Yet, we know, that the moment a seed is planted and watered, something remarkable happens. That seed comes to life, and the product of the planted and watered seed is something fruitful and far greater than the original seed on its own.

The application for our own spiritual lives are many, but I want to focus in on this. For many of us, when we look at our gifts, our talents, or abilities, we see nothing of value. We see something that seems to have no real life, and we struggle to believe that there is anything there worth seeing.

The unfortunate reality is, if we do nothing with what we've been given, that perspective is basically true.

The awesome reality is, if we do something with those gifts and talents, that perspective couldn't be further from the truth.

The only difference in these two realities is what we do with it. If we never plant the seeds God has given us, they'll never grow. If we never do something with the gifts God has given us, we will never see what He can do in and through them.

Stop staring at the seed, and start dreaming about what God might do with that seed once its planted.

God has given you so much, and the things God gives us, that we do something with, He multiplies. In Matthew 25:14-30 we read about three servants who are given talents. Two of them do something with it, and their talents are multiplied, and they are rewarded for it. The third does nothing with what they're given, and what they were given, was taken away.

What has God put in you? What has God gifted you with? What is in you that God is wanting to bless and encourage others with?

If you just stand there staring at the dead seed in your hand, you'll never know.

More Than Knowing

Have you ever been getting ready in the morning, or laying your head on the pillow at night, and seemingly out of nowhere a voice of accusation comes to mind? You're brushing your teeth, thinking about all the things you need to do that day and this thought pops into your mind, "you're never going to amount to anything" or "no one really cares about you, they're just pretending." It takes the wind right out of your sails, it can even send you into a downward spiral for the rest of the day.

I have had many of these types of moments in my life, and over the last few years, I feel like I've been getting better at recognizing them for what they are, a distraction, and a lie. What I feel like God has been talking to me about this week though, is something I had never really considered, it has helped me so much, and I hope it helps you too.

When these thoughts come to mind, the best thing for us to do, is call them just what they are. They are a distraction, they are a lie, and to put it plainly, they are an attack. 1 Peter 5:8 says, Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. A harsh reality is, we have an enemy, and he doesn't fight fair. He waits for our guard to be down, and he knows just what kind of stuff will get our attention in all the wrong ways. So when we these distractions and attacks come, treat them with the time and respect they deserve... none.

This is the part I've been getting better at. When the voice comes, I don't accept it as truth, I don't dwell on it as important, I brush it to the side. If you haven't been able to do that yet, I encourage you, start taking these moments head on. Sometimes I even say it out loud, "that's a lie, many people love me. They prove it all the time with their words and actions." I will even reflect on moments of truth, moments of reality in my recent days and weeks that prove the accusation is a lie.

This is all great and good, but there is one more step that I am learning to try this week, and it's been awesome. I hope you find it as life changing as I have.

Even on days when I've done "well" in those moments, the truth is, the rest of the day I walk around with my head down a little. My perspective of myself is a little lower, and my tendency to believe an accusation or to take a criticism a little too seriously is way out of balance.

So here is the second part to fighting off these thoughts... walk through your day confident that this lie is simply a lie. Maybe a better way to put is, when these things are whispered to you, don't let any of it get on you! If it's a lie, then there is no reason to accept or receive any of it into your thoughts or perspective that day. Be aware of your conversations, be diligent to protect your thought life that day. This second part is where the real victory is found.

So if you've been fighting some mental battles, if you've been trying to shrug off some accusations, call them just what they are, a lie and a distraction. Then spend the rest of your day walking with confidence, not letting any of that garbage to get on you!