Copyright © 2005 Lisa Biggs Crum
Isaiah 53
…He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
…He was despised and rejected by men
…and we esteemed him not.
I am at a stage in my spiritual journey where I feel I am more in God’s will than I ever have been. Yet I still struggle with acceptance and rejection.
Personality wise, I do not like attention. But my personality also desires that everything I do be of value or benefit to someone.
What do we do when we feel we are doing God’s will but cannot see the benefits or acceptance of our efforts?
In discussing these frustrations with my husband, he enjoys reminding me of Ezekiel 2:5 where God is commissioning Ezekiel to speak to the Israelites “whether they listen or fail to listen.”
I’m certainly not Ezekiel but I do believe Jesus commissions us to be witnesses of what He is doing in and around us. (Acts 1:8) That’s my desire: to simply tell others what I have seen (witnessed) of Him. There’s nothing spectacular about that. We all are witnesses of His presence in our life. The tricky part is recognizing Him.
It is easy to recognize those who have unusual beauty. How do we recognize one who has “nothing in his appearance that we should desire him?” Interesting thought when we seem to always recognize the artist depiction of Jesus. Our culture even likes to think his name, Jesus, was unique to the Son of God.
When I was pregnant with my son, I had nightmares about leaving him in the nursery at church and not recognizing him when I went to get him. Being my first child, I thought all babies looked alike. When he was born and I held him in my arms, changed his diapers, fed him and played with him; he became very familiar in more than just appearance.
Perhaps you have met someone and walked away thinking you wouldn't recognize them if you saw them again. But if you spend time with them, become familiar with their expressions and personality, you will recognize them. Or perhaps someone has told you so much about their experience with another person that when you see them together, you instantly recognize the one you have heard so much about. I want everything I do in life to help others recognize Christ in their own life.
Maybe it is pride that desires to have more confirmation from others about what I do. I could argue: Why speak or write if no one seems to be listening? But when I really stop and think about it, the peace of being in God’s will far outweighs the emotions of acceptance or rejection from people. I suppose that is why the passion of Christ enabled Him to do what he did.
Note: I do appreciate those who have encouraged me in my writing through posting comments and in person. This blog just represents my sentiments today. We all have these kind of days, right? :)
Today’s quote from ThinkExist.com seemed to go well with this blog: “It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.” - Moliere 1622-1673
May the peace of Christ be with you today.
Isaiah 53
…He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
…He was despised and rejected by men
…and we esteemed him not.
I am at a stage in my spiritual journey where I feel I am more in God’s will than I ever have been. Yet I still struggle with acceptance and rejection.
Personality wise, I do not like attention. But my personality also desires that everything I do be of value or benefit to someone.
What do we do when we feel we are doing God’s will but cannot see the benefits or acceptance of our efforts?
In discussing these frustrations with my husband, he enjoys reminding me of Ezekiel 2:5 where God is commissioning Ezekiel to speak to the Israelites “whether they listen or fail to listen.”
I’m certainly not Ezekiel but I do believe Jesus commissions us to be witnesses of what He is doing in and around us. (Acts 1:8) That’s my desire: to simply tell others what I have seen (witnessed) of Him. There’s nothing spectacular about that. We all are witnesses of His presence in our life. The tricky part is recognizing Him.
It is easy to recognize those who have unusual beauty. How do we recognize one who has “nothing in his appearance that we should desire him?” Interesting thought when we seem to always recognize the artist depiction of Jesus. Our culture even likes to think his name, Jesus, was unique to the Son of God.
When I was pregnant with my son, I had nightmares about leaving him in the nursery at church and not recognizing him when I went to get him. Being my first child, I thought all babies looked alike. When he was born and I held him in my arms, changed his diapers, fed him and played with him; he became very familiar in more than just appearance.
Perhaps you have met someone and walked away thinking you wouldn't recognize them if you saw them again. But if you spend time with them, become familiar with their expressions and personality, you will recognize them. Or perhaps someone has told you so much about their experience with another person that when you see them together, you instantly recognize the one you have heard so much about. I want everything I do in life to help others recognize Christ in their own life.
Maybe it is pride that desires to have more confirmation from others about what I do. I could argue: Why speak or write if no one seems to be listening? But when I really stop and think about it, the peace of being in God’s will far outweighs the emotions of acceptance or rejection from people. I suppose that is why the passion of Christ enabled Him to do what he did.
Note: I do appreciate those who have encouraged me in my writing through posting comments and in person. This blog just represents my sentiments today. We all have these kind of days, right? :)
Today’s quote from ThinkExist.com seemed to go well with this blog: “It is not only what we do, but also what we do not do, for which we are accountable.” - Moliere 1622-1673
May the peace of Christ be with you today.
No comments:
Post a Comment