{For previous parts, see 1, 2, 3, and 4.}
In my last post, I closed with the question “So why don’t we?”
Notice I said “we.” I’m not preaching at you–well, maybe I am, but I’m also preaching at myself.
There are so many times when I don’t use my talents, when I’m not intentional about creating and worshiping and blessing others and pleasing God. There are so many times when I say things like “I’m not good at that” or “You are so much better at x than I am.”
And often, those statements are true. I’m not good at some things. There are people in my life who do such-and-such better than I do.
But is it about me? Should I focus on what I can do? Does it matter if I’m not that good at such-and-such or if so-and-so is better at that than I am?
No.
It’s not about me.
I shouldn’t focus on what I can do.
It honestly doesn’t matter, especially in the long run and in the eyes of God.
It’s about God. It’s about what God can do. It’s about serving and loving and bringing Him glory. It’s about what He thinks and what He wants me to do.
And so I want to change.
I want to be intentional, to use my talents to glorify God and point others to Him. I want to stop throwing myself down, because how dare I treat the image-bearer and temple of God like that. I want to focus on what really matters–Him.
/~/
We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), and we are temples of God (1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19-20). I’ve heard that over and over, from little on up.
But only recently has it been becoming more and more real to me. More making-me-stop-and-think. More sobering and challenging and encouraging and inspiring.
Above I wrote, “how dare I treat the image-bearer and temple of God like that.” I think if we–I–would keep that in mind, we would stop throwing ourselves down and stop saying we’re not talented (and probably stop lots of other things too). We are the image-bearers and temples of God. Talking bad about ourselves, about what we do, is talking bad about His creation and dwelling-place.
As I said in the first of this series, I get the whole not wanting to be/appear proud thing.
But pride goes both ways. Pride is believing a lie about yourself; it can be believing you’re better than others or believing you’re below others (you’re not good enough, etc.). They’re both lies, both not believing what God says.
Saying we’re not talented is actually being proud, saying that we don’t believe what God has said, saying that He didn’t bless us with amazing gifts/abilities. “I don’t believe I can do all things through You, Jesus.” “I don’t believe I’m made in Your image and can imitate You, Creator and Leader.”
Sounds so much more worse when it’s put that way, doesn’t it?
Again, I am preaching to myself. I put myself down quite a bit, often subconsciously. But–again–I want to change.
I am the image-bearer and temple of God. I was created for His glory.
You are the image-bearer and temple of God. You were created for His glory.
Let’s bring Him glory through our talents and words about ourselves, shall we?
