Yup. Happens. I have to be reminded again and again and again to Mind Your Own Business (MYOB). Let me clarify before your imagination runs amuck. I haven't been caught reading someone's journal, or eavesdropping on someone's conversation (again), no more cyber-stalking... Nope. It's more critical than that.
There's a place in the Bible, late in Jesus' return from the tomb and just before He returns to the Heavenly Father, where our Lord gives Peter a swift kick in the back-side about MYOB. Check out the verses in John 21:21. Peter is asking about one of his comrades after being told some pretty disturbing news by the Son of God. Jesus doesn't hesitate when He pointedly tells Peter that John is simply none of his business, his only job is to do exactly as Christ has asked of HIM.
Boils it right down to the nub of the matter, doesn't it? Our job is to keep our ears open, our eyes peeled and frankly, most of the time, our mouths shut! God wants us to be listening very carefully to the instructions He has for each and every one of us, INDIVIDUALLY. It boggles my mind when I think about the fact that God has planned out every detail in my life and that He has a specific plan for each and every day I am on Earth. Not only does He plan out for me and mine, but ALL of his children have a page in His daily planner, even when they don't profess to be His.
Whew! My brain is smoking... Is yours? Well then, let's simplify shall we? I need it...
In Hebrews 12:1 Paul encourages us to take a look around us. Every person gone before us, even those that are mighty in the eyes of the Lord, should be an encouragement to us in running the race that has been specifically marked out for us and us alone. No one can run our race for us, but each of us can take encouragement from those that have run their own race and realize that we are just as loved and cherished as they were. The more encouraging part for me personally, is that my race course has been personally marked out by the Lord especially for me. That is incredible!
My life, its choices, its mistakes, its successes - all of it - have been touched and massaged and loved into fruition by the Heavenly Master Planner. He walked my course before I was set upon it and He knows its pitfalls and rewards. He knows where I will stumble and where I will soar. He planned it for me to grow and mature and learn to trust more wholly in Him. My course isn't your course, and yours isn't mine. God isn't about making cookie-cutter-Christians. He's into haute-couture! One of a kind designs and special orders...
As humans and sinful ones at that, it is so very easy to take a look over your own backyard fence and start coveting the lush green grass of a neighbor's lawn. The pitfall is that we truly have no idea what it took to make their lawn that lush, we don't have the luxury of time to waste in not cultivating our own back yards and frankly, we cannot see into their home to discover that while the yard might be truly lovely, the kitchen may be a disaster! Where am I going with this??
I can spend a lot of time comparing my race to the race of my spouse, my family and my friends or I can get busy making sure that I am doing the very best I can to keep my own finish line firmly in sight. If you are a runner, you can relate to how unsteady your gait can become if you are constantly looking around at the other runners. Concentration is key and if you don't keep your eye on the goal, you will stumble and you may fall.
The course God has planned for you is so individualized that no one else can complete it. God chose you especially for the task you have before you. He is waiting for you at that finish line to congratulate and reward you for your efforts. Keep your eyes up, your feet steady and your faith strong - It's all yours to win!
No comments:
Post a Comment