“Give up defining
yourself - to yourself or to others. You won’t die. You will come to life. And
don’t be concerned with how others define you. When they define you, they are
limiting themselves, so it’s their problem. Whenever you interact with people,
don’t be there primarily as a function or a role, but as the field of conscious
presence. You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose
something that you are.”
I
am learning that life does not consist of fulfilling the right set of rules or behavior.
Life is not perfect because we mark off the ideal list of to-do’s in perfect
order (high school, four-year degree, marriage, babies, own your own home . .
.). It is about obeying Christ in the here and now, wherever that may find you.
Sometimes
obedience to the Heavenly Father means doing things outside the box, outside
the norm. History is full of ordinary men and women who sought only God and
eventually became the great missionaries we read about today. Think Gladys Alward
(she flunked out of Bible school), Hudson Taylor (fell in love too many times),
and William Carey (worked as a simple shoe maker). Alward could have quit—if you
can’t finish Bible school what makes you think you can serve in China?—but she
persevered. Taylor, in some circles, would have been thought foolish; yet, he
allowed his heartbreak and loneliness bring him closer to God. And Carey utilized
the hours of simple, so-so work for prayer.
I wonder which is
more loving? Pigeon-holing people or giving them the freedom to be who they
are; being okay with their mess and
their glory.
I know what I
prefer.
