“What do they really think of me?” “Do I really make a difference?” “Am I answering the call on my life?”
If you’re a struggling believer like me, you’ve most likely wrestled through some/all of these same questions.
We desire to follow God and have a relationship with Him, but we often let worldly views steer us in every direction.
If you’re also like me, you’re tired of trying to find peace between your earthly existence and your eternal destination.
It’s time for us (those of us trying to appease everyone around us and working to fit in with the world) to shine our light in the darkness and answer our call from God.
Our call to be different.
Stop Trying to Be Perfect
I’m going to be very real and transparent here. I’m not a very “good” Christian.
My Bible reading goes in spurts. Sometimes I’m a devoted student of the Word, studying it and meditating on it daily. Other times, I don’t even crack it open for days.
Prayer is a constant struggle for me, always. My prayers aren’t as heart-felt or sincere as they should. I’m selfish in my prayers. I don’t pray as often as I should.
I could keep listing all the ways I frankly stink at being a polished Christian woman, but I’ll stop there.
Let’s all stop doing this.
God doesn’t ask us to have a daily to-do list of “good” Christian tasks we can check off. He just asks us to seek Him daily. That should certainly be through His Word and through prayer, but it can be in so much more as well.
We can seek God on our drive to work, giving a simple thanks for His goodness and the new day ahead of us. It can happen while we’re listening to one of our favorite worship songs and feeling His presence more strongly than anything else. We can be consumed in joy to Him for allowing us the time we have with our families each and every day.
The point is, we don’t have to be “good” to earn favor from God. He sees us as we are, where we are and simply just wants us near.
God just wants us to acknowledge Him and follow His lead. He will do the work in our hearts, if we just surrender them into His perfect hands.
Go Forward In Faith
In order to live free of worldly expectations and views, we must cling tightly to our faith in God. When we put our total trust in Him and rely solely on His strength, we stop needing the approval of those around us.
We must remember what His Word says about us (that means we need to read His Word as often as possible). The Bible is literally our “weapon” against the attacks of the enemy. In order to efficiently use it, we must efficiently know it. Just like any other weapon, we can’t use it in the proper (or safe) manner if we don’t learn about it first.
God gives us everything we need to fight against any kind of struggle that comes at us. Even the struggles we conjure in our minds or bring upon ourselves. God knows we are weak at times, and restores us by lending His own strength in place of ours.
God’s Word reminds us over and over who we are and how He sees us (the real us). We can meditate on these truths and have faith in Him and who we are in Him.
- Set Apart – “Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.” -Psalm 4:3
- Special – “For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession.” -Deuteronomy 14:2
- Beautiful – “You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.” -Song of Songs 4:7
- Redeemed – “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” -Isaiah 44:22
- Light – “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” -Ephesians 5:8
Fight the Lies
We are constantly plagued with lies all around us. These lies make us feel inferior, unimportant, unequipped and simply not good enough. They often come from comparisons. The lies form when we compare everyone we see to the person we are.
The problem with comparison, is we often don’t even know the “real” person/people we’re comparing ourselves to. We see images on social media and get small glimpses of who they are, and immediately start counting the ways we’re different than them. Those comparisons ultimately lead to us feeling less than and not quite good enough.
We must stop this. I’m speaking strongly to myself here, as I am so incredibly guilty of doing this. God truly did create us all differently and not so we’d compare ourselves with one another, but to embrace each other’s differences. It’s also a chance to praise God for his creativity in the unique mold He’s given to us.
If we want to be the light to the world, we have to first accept that our light is something different and unique as well. The truth is, God’s light is the most beautiful and special thing we can share, and we must first be bold in letting it shine. If we don’t accept who God created us to be, we’ll never feel comfortable allowing His light within us to burn bright.
Sisters and brothers, we have to fight against the lies the enemy uses to attack our minds. We are good enough. We are special. We are unique. We are adequate and equipped. We have God on our side and we already know He’s won the war. All we have to do is rest in Him and trust that we are made for more. We are made specifically to carry His light within us and it’s meant to be seen.
Burn Bright
As a perpetual people-pleaser, I can tell you that standing out and being too “different” has always terrified me. I always worried that people would react negatively or judge me for my faith. I’ve been called a “goody-good,” a “good Christian girl” and a “church girl” at various times in my life. While none of those are terribly derogatory, I’ve always been put off by them. Mostly because I believe they miss the mark of who I truly am.
I do believe and follow God. I do go to church. I do try hard to be a decent individual. Even with all of that, I’m still a broken person and mess up just as much as the next person. I also don’t hastily judge or look down on others for their weaknesses. We all have them and I am no better than anyone else.
The point in all this, is that not everyone will understand you or agree with you. That’s the way of the world and it’s truly okay. We don’t have to be liked by everyone (people-pleasers like myself, I promise we’ll survive!). Jesus was hated by so many, yet He was literally a perfect man. He had no sin in Him whatsoever, and yet He was mocked, flogged and eventually crucified. His light never dulled, even through all of that.
We must be encouraged to keep going, to persevere through trial and challenges and continually let the light of God shine from within us. Fear tries to keep us from allowing the light to escape, but we can overcome it. God will give us the strength we need to stand up to it. We have so much to offer this broken world: love, grace, hope and forgiveness. And it’s all found in our Creator – the true Light of the World. His light can’t be dimmed and when we use it to shine on others, it will burn too brightly for them to turn away.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” -Isaiah 60:1
It’s not enough to just let a little crack of God’s light shine here and there, whenever it’s easy and comfortable. Let’s step out in faith and trust that God has a great plan for using that light in us. He truly does. Embrace the gifts He’s given you and utilize them for boldly showcasing that glorious and perfect light within.
Our Call to be Different
Consider what Jesus came to do in the world. He came to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples for God. He didn’t come to blend in with everyone else. He didn’t come to please everyone. He didn’t come to look, talk and be like those around Him. Jesus was the true light in the darkness. He was so different, He couldn’t go unnoticed.
We should follow in His footsteps. Shining the light of God isn’t to get attention for ourselves; it’s simply to give God all the glory. We are His vessels and He wants to use us to draw others closer to Him. We must emit His light or we will blend into the darkness.
We’re called to be different because we were never made to be like everyone else. We are called to be different so that God in His glory, will stick out above everything else. As we choose to follow God, His light should get absorbed into our whole being and should shine in whatever we’re doing.
I am not perfect, or even great, at allowing God’s light to shine in all I do. I’m guilty of gossiping, judging and getting discouraged to share my faith. God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He just wants us to trust Him and rely on His strength. When we do that, we allow His light to naturally permeate through us and it shines brighter than anything in this world. Let’s all step out boldly and let His light shine brightly.
“That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.” -Philippians 2:15
Mandy Farmer
Very good words of advice. These especially Christians need to be different, be a light in the darkness. I recently wrote on this as well.
Thank you for this encouragement.
groundsandgrace.com
Thank you, Mandy! It’s such an important topic to write about. Thanks for reading! 🙂
Marlene Dicken
I pray every night for Adam & Brandon’s soul