The concept of having an active relationship with the actual author of everything that has to do with my life is one that is hard for me to get over. To be honest, I almost freak out a little bit knowing that there is a God who is not only cares about me, but intentionally wants to work with me to change the world.
Now you may think that of the incidences where things convene fortuitously in life as fate. “Coincidence” may very well have resulted in the best possible outcomes in your life, but I believe there is a good God who is purposefully working in your life and in mine – working on our stories so that it can reach others and make a difference.
If this is the case, then you might come up with the question: “Why would God want to use me?”
Biblically, God created us with the intention of spending time with us. He never wanted to just be the “Power in the Sky”. He wanted us to do life with Him. But we opted out of that situation and decided it was more important to be independent. When you choose to let God back into your life, you are basically resetting the order of how you live and think. All of a sudden pleasing God needs to be higher up on the priority list than pleasing yourself or impressing anyone else.
Once you understand that God needs to come first, however, you also need to learn what really pleases Him. I spent a big part of my relationship with God trying to pretend I was what I thought he wanted me to be. I thought I had to be innocent and timid. I thought that humility meant never accepting encouragement. I thought God wanted someone who had everything together.
But the truth is that God knows everything about our lives long before we decide to accept him into our lives. He wants us as we are – all messy and strange and embarrassing. There is no use in trying to hide things from Him.
The moment I stopped trying to play “the good Christian” with God, I really got to know Him and who I really am as well. Not only that, but God also could start getting his hands dirty in all of my chaos and start truly healing the messed up parts of my life.
This world is broken. You don’t need to look far to find people that are hurting and desperate for hope. It could be an accurate description of your life right now. Many people use suffering as a reason for not believing in God. If God is really real, then why does he allow all this suffering? But the truth is, most suffering is a result of someone else’s wrongs. If the people inflicting the suffering on others truly knew God, then the suffering would not take place. John Newton – the writer of Amazing Grace – is a good example. He was a slave trader who saw hundreds die on his ships, but when he encountered God, he changed his whole life and began fighting for the abolition of the slave trade.
Even in natural disasters, we may argue that God would not allow such things to affect people. Even though I can’t explain why such things happen, I do know what God’s response is. His response is you and me. You may think it a bit crazy, but God wants to use us to change the world and help people. Whether it’s accepting someone who has problems with rejection or raising money for the victims of an earthquake, His plan to reach this world is inclusive. There is nothing more fulfilling than working with God to reach others.
So why does God want to use you? So that you can truly know what it means to be alive. Even though He could show up any minute and tell everyone to believe in Him, He wants you to have the thrill of making a difference in the lives of those you live with.
If you want to find out more about how much God loves you, believes in you and intentionally wants to use you, click on the link below.