There is a Time…

You know the old saying, “Misery loves company”? Well, as I read my friends heart-felt probing questioning in the following post, I realized, wow, it’s not just me! And I was reassured once again that I’m not in this alone.

Do you ever feel like, everybody else is having this grand happy-go-lucky life and God has you in His smelting pot?

It is just my opinion, but I think that this “wonderful life” mentality is just a Western civilization phenomenon. We, Christians especially are believing more and more that unless we’re being blessed, either financially, health wise, emotionally, or just with an all around “happiness” feeling then we must not be doing “it” right.

Sometimes the Right way is the Hard way.

I am blessed to have friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, who are in God’s pot with me, and who are willing to share their struggles and triumphs with us. I am trying to remember it is not always about getting it right the first time that is the triumph…sometimes the real gift of God is the lessons we learn from the mess up!

–Being Pruned For a Harvest–
Over this last year, God has been doing some major pruning in my life. The deep cuts of the Master’s hand seemed unwarranted and untimely. I was at the threshold of launching my website after pouring two years of hard work into it. Then Bam! My life changed in a moment and the actions of others became God’s tool to prune me to nothing. However, the circumstances of my life did not come as a surprise to Him. His timing was perfect and so was His plan for me. Would I trust Him or would I allow hurt, pain and betrayal to dictate my course? If I’m being honest…nothing in me wanted to or even knew how to trust Him. It was much easier to play the victim of my circumstances so I didn’t have to embrace the lessons in them. It was also easier to allow the sins of others to keep me from seeing my own. Why was God pruning me to nothing when those around me seemed to be getting away with everything? Why was God having me look in the mirror when others were allowed to blame everything and everyone else for their actions? Why was God having me own up to my mistakes while others were allowed to entertain countless justifications for theirs?

The privilege of being a child of God doesn’t always look like a privilege. Change, transformation and yes, pruning is the way one becomes like Christ. Phil 2:6 -7 says, “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself (became nothing), taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. He didn’t rally for His rights or glory in His godly inheritance. He was gladly pruned to nothing for the sake of humanity. He had no earthly prominence, position or possessions to speak of. He didn’t even have a place to rest His head. The world esteemed Him not. He had no kingship like David or wealth like Solomon. He was the bastard child of a carpenter. To identify with Him is to identity with being nothing. However, most of us, as believer don’t like that identification. We want to be approved of, accepted by and loved by those around us. We want to be seen as worthy, wise and well deserving to be called children of God. Like somehow we have earned the right to be that.
This time of deep pruning has shown me the value of “nothing”. There is nothing I can or will ever do to deserve God’s love for me and there is nothing I can do to keep Him from loving me. There is no earthly status or “I’m special” card that comes with being His either. He exalts “nothing” and “nothing” exalts Him. “Nothing” never competes for glory, rallies for it’s rights, or thinks it deserved anything, but eagerly embraces it’s bond-servant status and the truth that “apart from God” it can do nothing. Nothing considers “all gain to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord”. Nothing has no problem with the fellowship of Christ sufferings but rather understands the privilege of being counted worthy to suffer for the sake of Christ as Christ suffered for the sake of us.
Please don’t hear this as a “doormat” theology that breeds false humility. However, if we are to be crucified with Christ we have to become nothing as He was nothing. Whatever status the world tried to attribute to Him, He did not embrace but pointed them right back to the real source….His Father. Whatever claim to fame the world attempted to ascribe to Him, He refused but gave the glory to God instead. He didn’t look to man for love, acceptance or approval but sought only to please His Father.
The life of “nothing” cost Him everything! He gladly did it for you and for me. But not so we could become children of privilege that glory in what we do for Him, or gloat about how blessed we are like it’s something we deserve because of how good we are. Don’t get me wrong…He does lavish His blessings upon us but that should say to us, more about Him than it does about us.
I am learning how to embrace my wretchedness in view of His holiness. To not underestimate or overestimate my flesh but see that any significance in me is God and it’s for His glory alone, not mine. The insecurities within me are silenced and their hold over me loosens. I can finally shed the “earn it and deserve it” mentality when stuff happens to me. I’m discovering my need for Him in a whole new way and there is great joy in being pruned to nothing so He can harvest more than I could ever ask or think by His power at work in me!
Share your thoughts!—Sherrie Morrison