Where are we looking to for our validation?

9/16/2011

Weather Report From Heaven: Sunny and bright, with an abundance of light and lots of singing and rejoicing.


Bible verse of the day: Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again:Rejoice!


We live in a world where we are constantly looking to others for our validation and it causes us so many problems. We compare ourselves to others to see how we are measuring up. We need to look perfect, be the perfect weight, wear the right clothes, have the right job, drive the best car, say the smartest things. We care so much about what other people think or say about us. We live in a culture where you're known for what you've done, who you know and what you have. The problem is this type of societal pressure eventually leads to us feeling empty and drained as we constantly struggle to "live up" to expectations that our society has erroneously placed on us. We set ourselves up for failure and a defeated outlook on life because the expectations are impossible to live up to. Most people today would rather be envied for their material success than recognized for their character. We place such a false emphasis on material wealth in this country that people act as if it hits the delete button on a whole list of character flaws if you've obtained lots of money. I have heard people tell stories where they are saying he cheated on his wife, left his kids, had a drug , alcohol and porn problem, but he made a lot of money, as if it that last statement made up for all of the sins they had just listed. In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus says the opposite, " Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroys and where thieves break in and steal, But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Jesus spent more time teaching about money because he knew that it was going to be such an important concept for us all. Money is not the problem, but the love of money is. That is where we can get so lost in trying to validate ourselves to the world. We can keep creating a bigger pit when our sole focus is on chasing the almighty dollar instead of the Almighty God.When we should be focused on building our character, we spend so much time worrying about our reputation, which can be tarnished at any minute by someone with an ax to grind or a malicious agenda. So the main question becomes where do we look to for our validation? Another way to look at this is where are we focusing our time and attention? If we are focused on ourselves, the problem is we become so self-conscious that we can barely stand the thought of us not being the center of attention and we start to live a very shallow and inwardly focused life. We become what we worship; If we worship pleasure, we become shallow. If we worship fame, we become arrogant and mean. If we worship power, we we become overbearing. if we worship wealth, we become greedy and selfish. if we worship worthless idols, we become worthless. On the other hand, if we worship Jesus Christ we become loving, selfless and whole. When we are focused on God, we are focusing on the solution, and are life will continue to blossom in the freedom that He will provide for us as we become grateful for the grace He has given us, the forgiveness of our sins through Christ Jesus, and thankful for the eternal life that is our treasure to those who believe in Him as savior. As my friend Pete McKenzie likes to say, " If we focus on others, we get distressed, if we focus on ourselves, we get depressed but if we focus on Christ, we get blessed. By focusing on the solution, God, and not the problem, us and our own personal baggage, we can begin to rejoice in the Lord and we will find that our stress level's drop as a result. We must be brutally honest with ourselves. We live in a dark and broken world, where according to 2nd Timothy 3:2-4, " people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God." Is that the kind of place you want to look to for your validation? I certainly don't! On the other hand, we have the promise of the love and peace of God in Jesus Christ illustrated for us so beautifully in Matthew 11:28-30 " Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Anyone feeling tired out there and in need of some rest for their soul's? I sure need some rest and have come to know that only Jesus can provide it. He is a source of unremitting water for our thirsty souls. So we rejoice in the Lord always, our comforter, our redeemer and our healer. If we look to this world for validation or fairness we will spend lots of time acquiring emotional scars that can leave us damaged for long periods of time. We will be like hamsters on their wheel, running and running and never getting anywhere, until finally they need some water and some rest. Praise God that His son, and our savior Jesus Christ, is there always to provide for us. All are invited, none are left out of his banquet. If we invite him in to our lives, we will find Him. Matthew 7:7-8 says this is His promise " Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened." The choice is ours. Do we want struggle and strife in our lives trying to live up to society's false expectations or do we want the rest that only Christ can provide? This world requires courage for us to be different and not to conform to the things of this world that look so good on the outside, but ultimately which lead to emptiness, loneliness and depression. Find your identity in Christ and you will be free. Everything will work itself out in the end. If it's not working out, then it's not the end. Trust and rejoice in the Lord always. May God richly bless you as you begin to put your focus and trust in Him.