choose to trust...

The "busy" season of my summer has just begun. My plane touched down in Atlanta a few hours ago and as usual, my head can't stop ruminating about the laundry list of things to come. The emotional concoction is a mix of mainly anticipation and anxiety. I'm excited about what the next few weeks will hold. Today I'm in Atlanta for strategic partner meetings at North Point Church and the following two weeks I will be in Michigan for Surf City. My excitement for the next few weeks is totally justifiable considering i'll be at North Point connecting with some of the most incredible church family you would ever want to be in a room with and i'll be heading to a camp that has arguably had the most significant impact on the youth of Pittsburgh for the last 25 years. I've got plenty to be excited about. I am extremely privileged to be a part of what God is doing in Pittsburgh. 

Unfortunately as I said before my recipe of emotions doesn't just have a healthy dose of excitement... it also has more than one helping of anxiety. I have really been feeling the itch lately. It's like a bug bite that doesn't go away and you know that scratching it will never help but you do it anyway. Worrying about things in the future never makes the future better... but I do it anyway. Anxiety is something that permeates everything I do and I can't help but be embarrassed by the stranglehold it has on me. I'm sure that I am not alone. This is a snag that I believe many of us get caught in everyday. Anxiety is not healthy and is a bigger problem than many of us like to admit. But we have to face a truth... anxiety is wrong and it's a sin. Trust me, i've tried looking at it at every angle, but I can't find cause for "healthy anxiety." It clearly says in Phil. 4, "Do not be anxious about anything." You really can't get much clearer than that. 

I recently read some great stuff on the obstacles of anxiety and worry. Unfortunately, what I read made me realize how toxic worrying truly is. In his book Crazy Love, Francis Chan wrote, "Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of  what's happening in our lives." Those words struck me deep. I immediately realized an arrogance that was hidden behind my eyes. Did I truly believe that my God was that small? Has my Savior turned his back and ignored my suffering and concerns? How could I let such a senseless belief dominate my time and my being? It doesn't make sense!

God is bigger than your concerns and He knows your heart. You can't second guess God's plan for your life... because when you let anxiety influence your day-to-day life you are just wasting your time. You are telling God that you don't believe He cares. So, what drives your thoughts on your way to work in the morning? What demands your attention in the late hours of the night when you are trying to fall asleep? The Creator of this world is in control and our lives are designed to point to Him. How much of your time is consumed by worry? Let's try to use that time for something worth while! 

You vs. Ya'll

I have recently been listening to some incredible messages from a great teacher named Francis Chan. Francis has captured my attention on a reality of scripture that I couldn't help but share with my friends. Francis is doing a series right now on what it means to be part of the church. Living in America has really narrowed my understanding of the church. Think about it, how often do you hear the term "church shopping" or how often do you hear people complaining about a church because it doesn't do anything for them or doesn't meet their "needs." We are all guilty of becoming a part of a Christian community for selfish reasons. This mindset has permeated the way western culture Christians interact with God. We begin to act like what God has to say is all about us. We read scripture and put an individualistic angle on it. 

Think about Matthew 5:14-16 when it says, You are the light of the world... let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven. 

How many times have you read that scripture and only wrestled with it's perspective as pertaining to the way you live your life? Francis pointed out that this passage was written in a plural context. When it says You... it actually translates to You plural, like... Ya'll!  The verse should be understood to mean that the church, as a whole is the light of Christ in the world, the world will see OUR good deeds and glorify our Father in Heaven. The Bible points over and over again to God creating a people group working for one purpose and that is to glorify the one true God. 

We are a part of something bigger... it's not about you. That is such a simple principle but how often do you see the people of God constantly working to outdo each other. When Paul says we are the body of Christ he literally means we are the body of Christ... we are the flesh and blood of our Creator in this world... the hands, the feet, the ears... we are the physical representation of God at work by the power of the Spirit. It's not figurative. Shane Claiborne put it like this in his book Irresistible Revolution, "If you ask the average person how Christians live, they are struck silent. We have to show the world another way of doing life. Christians pretty much live like everybody else; they just sprinkle a little Jesus along the way... Jesus came not just to prepare us to die, but to teach us how to live!" 

The problem is that Christians don't look different because we are so focused on our own agenda's and our own journey's that we lose the importance of playing on the same team. Instead of focusing on a common goal and working together to make an impact we all build our own little teams. It's like having the abilities to dominate in the Major League but being satisfied with dominating at the club league level. Imagine how different this world would look if it became about something bigger than ourselves. It would be heck of a lot different than it is. That's for sure! How do you contribute to working toward the common goal of glorifying God as the body of Christ? Or are you more concerned with having a people group that meets your needs? This life here on earth is about more than just making you a better person... it's bigger than you.