Going Against the Grain
I saw this on Facebook not too long ago. “Decisions become easier when your will to please God outweighs your will to please the world.” I liked it and saved it for a future, potential HOPE Note. As I was adding another thought to my file, I saw it written there, but as I read it again, I got a different perspective than the first time I read it.
The way I received this statement the first time was in acceptance and agreement that when we aim to please God instead of worrying what the world thinks of us or wants from us, it makes life easier. But the second time I read it, it came over me that living for Christ is not a bowl of cherries…it’s not rainbows and unicorns, and it’s definitely not for sissies! Sometimes choosing to please God is a MUCH harder choice than just “going with the flow” or pleasing those around us so we don’t make waves or cause a disturbance in the force. Pleasing God requires relinquishing control, it means putting your trust in something you can’t see or touch, it calls for dedication and devotion to something others find offensive.
The teens from our church had an amazing experience at camp this summer and some of them came to our prayer meeting and shared their experiences with us. It was so refreshing to see their enthusiasm for God; their excitement was genuine and it sparked something in all of us that were there. We prayed with them and told them, as they headed back to school, NOW is when it gets hard. At camp, you’re surrounded by others who do like you do and believe like you believe. In school, your surrounded by your peers who might pressure you into things that go against everything you believe. For them, I have to praise modern technology, because they’d already created a group text where they could message each other, to encourage their friends when they were in a tight spot. That gives me HOLY WILD goose bumps!!!
So yes…focusing only on what God thinks of us and wants from us eliminates a lot of worrying and stress over people-pleasing and keeping up with the Joneses; however, I’m not sure I’m convinced that it makes decision-making any easier. But…I chose this life, serving Him, so that means I’m in it for the long haul. I’ll do my best to honor God in all I do, even when it goes against the grain.