Make a Difference

It is always interesting when ones birthday falls on a Sunday. Generally, it's more desirable to have your birthday fall on a weekend and according to American culture, your birthday is a day for excess, for doing just as you please. So it may seem a little strange that I chose to get up "early" and go to church on my birthday.
     This is not so strange if you believe that the work of The Holy Spirit in and on His Church provides the best remedy for the quarter-life crisis I've been walking through. So I showed up, Bible and journal in hand.
    For much of the past 26 years, I have labored under the delusion that I will get better with age, that I can make a difference if I just get involved in the right ministry, or if I find the perfect job, and that I will someday out grow my tendency to sin. Indeed "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do." (Romans 7:15)
     It is therefore by the Grace of God that my pastor spoke about what he did. To summarize, he said that my generation is scared of not making a difference, that we want so desperately to matter. "Well," he said brusquely, "You won't make a difference. The Holy Spirit through you will make a difference." He then went on to remind us that when Peter and John healed the lame man, they had not set out to make a difference, but were just on their way to do what they normally do. "When they [the Sanhedrin] saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." (Acts 4:13)
     God does not use the person who has their life completely figured out, who is working in their dream career or the person who has consistently grown in a straight trajectory towards Christ-likeness, but the person who "has been with Jesus" and who will get out of the Holy Spirit's way.
     So instead of worrying that I haven't made enough of a difference in my 27 years, I will seek to be with Jesus, and remember that it is Him who makes all the difference in the world.

Post Script: There is a tradition among Hobbits that the birthday hobbit gives gifts to his or her guests. This post is my gift to the person who did all the work those 27 years ago. I love you Mom! 

Comments

  1. Prose&ConPostsJune 24, 2014 at 4:14 PM

    HapyHappy. Bcuz of this, I "went to Jesus" this morning. Thnx hon! Honest words must be my love language. Gngbyily [smak]

    ReplyDelete

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