A couple weeks ago I asked the question, how do we stay in God's love? (See How to Stay in God's Love) In that post I reviewed 3 big areas that we can find our identity in ourselves instead of God's love. In this post I want to talk about breaking the power of performance.
I'm a performance oriented person. No, I'm a performance driven-devoted-obsessed person. I thrive and I dive on performance. Try me. I come up with goals for how many Netflix movies I want to watch and return in a month so that I feel like I got my monies worth. This past weekend when I had nothing to do, I made a goal for how much of the Harry Potter book I was reading I wanted to complete. (I finished all of it.)
Only over the past 12 months have I been able to spot some ways to break out of the performance mentality. The most effective revelation for me has been our total need for Jesus to return.
Goal oriented people are always hoping for something. I hope I get an A in this class, I hope that I get the promotion at work, I hope that this project goes well. We hope, plan, pray, and work our butts off for that next goal.
The big letdown is that when the cards don't go our way, we blame. Ourselves, God, other people, we blame and we get upset. And we base how we feel about ourselves and life and God on the outcome of that goal. These are hopes that can disappoint us. I can find myself asking, if God really loved me…I've have done better. Or God still loves me, even though I probably didn't try as hard as I really could have.
Romans 5 talks about a hope that doesn't disappoint, even in the midst of trial and suffering. In fact, suffering and trials build patience and develop that hope within us. What is this great hope? It's the hope that Jesus will return and soon.
As I begin to take my gaze off of how I'm going to change the world and I begin to focus on how we are all in complete need of Jesus returning, the weight of needing to accomplish that next task begins to lift. What does making quota matter when compared to the imminent return of Christ? Are we all going to be sitting around in Heaven comparing GPAs?
No. Our hearts will be purely focused on Jesus Christ who is the one who is able to keep us rooted in the Father's Love.
Come Lord Jesus Soon
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1 comment:
The focus of our intentional gaze is so important.
Something clicked for me a few days ago. It came in realizing that ultimate, genuine change is something GOD is doing and going to do in me, and it comes – at least a lot of it does – as I set my gaze, my energy, my love on the Lord. I may seek to initiate this change/growth by my own effort (performance), and of course we play a part in the sanctification process, but it's almost as if the very best thing I can "do" is to be in love with Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:18 says “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”
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