Today I was thinking about the feeling of "being used". When most of us think about this, it is associated with bad and negative thoughts and past memories of times in our lives when we have been taken advantage of when we least expected it, let alone deserved it. I had this same reaction; just utter distain and hurt. I've had plenty of times in my life, big and small, where people have taken from me... where I have "been used." I bring up this point because today, my eyes were opened and thoughts that were not my own flooded in and renewed me; the past 6 hours have been revolutionary! When thinking about how awful it is to "be used," it dawned on me... why? What does Luke 6:32-36 tell us to do? What have my prayers been lately? This was my duh moment! As Christians we associate being used by God with positive and fulfilling feelings; when God uses us to impact others, we feel great! But being used by God does not always come with such feelings of success and accomplishment. To truly be used by God is to extend yourself in a way where either positive or negative feelings can occur. Most of us are willing to sacrifice if it is accompanied with a positive outcome for oneself, but would we be just as willing if those positive outcomes were replaced with the feeling of "being used?" Taken advantage of? Hated? Non-payment?
The world tells us to do the polar opposite of what Luke 6:32-36 tells us to do. In fact, it tells us to be the polar opposite… “Only be giving and loving to those who deserve it. You are protecting yourself from hurt and future pain. And cutting the people out of your life who don't deserve your love and attention will help you do this. Otherwise you are naive and stupid. ” I realize that I’ve fallen for this straight up lie because living this way has done nothing beneficial for me; it has actually hindered my relationship with God and the potential impact I could have on other people. Instead of the protection and lack of pain that this thought process promises, I'm actually doing more harm. Who am I to decide how I am to be used by God? I say I am willing to sacrifice everything for Him and yet I'm blowing of people who have done me wrong. It is human nature to not want to be giving to someone who isn’t the same back, but this is where we are called to stand out as someone who is different! Not act like the "typical sinner" with such selfish ambitions. Not just to do but to live this way! This is where we fall short because of our sinfulness. We are physically incapable of achieving this level of self-sacrifice, I am completely incapable,… unless we put all our trust and faith in Him daily. “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it’ (Luke 9:23-24). My life is not mine to live... I live for Jesus and Him alone. I am to die to my desires and make His my own! But, "Will I?" is the question.
The world tells us to do the polar opposite of what Luke 6:32-36 tells us to do. In fact, it tells us to be the polar opposite… “Only be giving and loving to those who deserve it. You are protecting yourself from hurt and future pain. And cutting the people out of your life who don't deserve your love and attention will help you do this. Otherwise you are naive and stupid. ” I realize that I’ve fallen for this straight up lie because living this way has done nothing beneficial for me; it has actually hindered my relationship with God and the potential impact I could have on other people. Instead of the protection and lack of pain that this thought process promises, I'm actually doing more harm. Who am I to decide how I am to be used by God? I say I am willing to sacrifice everything for Him and yet I'm blowing of people who have done me wrong. It is human nature to not want to be giving to someone who isn’t the same back, but this is where we are called to stand out as someone who is different! Not act like the "typical sinner" with such selfish ambitions. Not just to do but to live this way! This is where we fall short because of our sinfulness. We are physically incapable of achieving this level of self-sacrifice, I am completely incapable,… unless we put all our trust and faith in Him daily. “Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it’ (Luke 9:23-24). My life is not mine to live... I live for Jesus and Him alone. I am to die to my desires and make His my own! But, "Will I?" is the question.
Am I fully prepared to ask God to be used to the point of emptiness? By people who have hurt me or disappointed me? Are you? Is anybody really? I know I want to be; I ask that God allows me to extend myself in a way that is not humanly possible but can only be accomplished through Him and Him alone! So that when I interact with others, they do not see me but they see who Jesus is! And when I feel so drained and ready to give up, I have to cling to Jesus because He will renew my hope and give me the strength to continue on. Then and only then will I be able to show love to those who may not "deserve it."
Wow Lauren! Your "duh" moment was just a HUGE "duh" moment for me too! Thank you for putting this revelation out there to be shared!
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