Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Glorifiying God in ALL We Do.

I have a dear friend that uses the word "seasons" to describe the 'Ups and Downs' of life. When things seem to be getting me down, she'll encouragingly say, "It's just a season. It'll pass." And, she's right. But, for me, the problem isn't the ebb and flow of my "seasons"; it's that I don't glorify God consistently, the way I should, no matter the season....whether it be a season of joy, one of restlessness, or even one of sorrow. Glorifiying God during a season of joy is pretty easy. Most of us are thankful for the blessings that bring joy and we eagerly give our offering of thanks. But, what about when times aren't so joyful? When we lose a job? When a marriage unexpectably ends? When a loved one dies? What does it look like to glorify God during those times of sorrow and uncertainty?


Chan addresses this with the following:


"...[M]aybe life is tough right now, and everything feels like a struggle. God has allowed hard things in your life so you can show the world that your God is great and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard." p. 44


When I read this, I can't help but think about Jesus. He is the consummate role model when it comes to exemplifying the glory of God at the darkest of moments. And, maybe this goes back to the whole..."life isn't about you" argument. You see, we live in this world that is keenly crafted by the media. We can thank Disney (whom I'm a BIG fan of) for creating this unrealistic notion that young ladies will fall in love with a complete stranger at the age of sixteen, get married and live happily-ever-after. Or, the myriad of movies out there that have conditioned us to believe that in the end, all things will work out for the best...as long as "the best" means the hero doesn't die, the main characters fall in love and they, again, ride off into the sunset...happily-ever-after. There aren't a lot of movies out there that portray the truth of life...that it can be really difficult...that we don't always get the fairy-tale ending...at leaset, not here.


Think about all that Jesus faced: mockery, persecution, physical violence, death. In all those horrible circumstances, he glorified God...without exception. He never once asked, "Why me?" or "Why this?" What I find so utterly humiliating is that WE constantly ask those questions when in actuality, our trials aren't remotely worthy of comparison. Christ IS the model that we're to follow.
I want to close with this directive from Chan:


"To be brutally honest, it doesn't really matter what place you find yourself in right now. Your part is to bring Him glory-whether eating a sandwich on a lunch break, drinking coffee at 12:04 a.m. so you can stay awake to study, or watching your four-month-old take a nap. The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His. It is His movie, His world, His gift." p. 45




THE PUSH




Spend the next 48 hours trying your best to glorify God in all that you do...in your attitude and your actions. You have no idea who'll be watching...waiting...for your reaction: a neighbor, a co-worker, a spouse, a child. Make the most of EVERY opportunity to glorify God. Also, check out this video. It's short, but thought provoking.


















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