This past year many of my definitions as a believer have under gone further renovatons. Success is one of those definitions. I realized that there were many ways I was subject to feeling pressure to "achieve success" as defined by the world, or contemporary Christian culture. Consequently I was either falling short or in ways that were too subtle for my self-perception mechanism patting myself on the back.How wonderful to have Jesus Himself surface this! He saw it there all along. He has completely redefined success in my life! Success is KNOWING HIM! Knowing Christ in His death has become my joy! I used to think of knowing Him in His death as something somber, serious, sad, even morbid. But it was in His death on the Cross that Christ brought me into a place of permanent union with Himself. Wow! No darkness there! Only celebration and exploration!
10[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[a]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death . . . Phillipians 3:10 (Amplified Bible)
So much to know Jesus! I want to experience the full extent of this union with You! This is now the definition of success for me --- how much I can know and experience union with You! How deep can I go in oneness? Can I see what you are doing day by day? moment by moment? Can I hear you without being distracted by the people all around me? Can I know EXACTLY what and HOW you are doing something and do it right in sync with you? even in the mundane day to day activities of my life?
This is now worthy of all my focus - for You are my treasure, knowing You my very great reward!
3 comments:
Thank you Lisa for living out loud your "cross walk"! The Lord is using your transparency and authenticity in your journey to challenge me and help me enter in more fully. I am so grateful!
I was at the last cross immersion conference and found your rockin' blog as I was wandering around your site. The conference altered my vision of what is to beleive. This post spoke to me. I recently started a very intense nursing program a few weeks ago and was feeling totally overwhelmed and weighed down by all the expectations. Then as I was walking home one day it hit me. These are all expectations that the world is putting on me. I am not under them unless I put myself under then. The yoke I am under is easy and light. Success is abiding in Him, (which just is) not doing all that they want me to do. Do I still need to work and study, yep, but I do it all out of His strength, not my own. So, thanks for sharing.
Annie
That's right, Annie. Success is abiding in Him. There is a place of peace, a place of contentment that has little to do with externals, grades, exams etc. If He has led you into this nursing program then out of that place of abiding will come scheduling wisdom, study wisdom, exam wisdom all from that place of connectedness with Jesus Himself! Your joy and contentment though will not be attached to your grade point, but rather in walking through the whole program with Him! We need nurses who had the abiding presence of the Lord all around them. Many blessings on your degree!
Post a Comment