Sunday, February 7, 2010

Look what I did >> One of the Hardest things for me

I recently re-dedicated my life to Christ, and since then, I've found that one of the hardest things I've been encountering is the idea of "look what I did."

Not just simply going, "Oh, I did that." or "I just designed that!" but the self-centered pridefullness of going, "Look what I did--I just converted someone to Christ."

The very idea that it's us who are converting people to Christ--that's what I daily struggle with.

Because it's NOT us. That's the simple answer.


If anything I write or do or say, if anything I do affects someone and helps them in their walk in Christ, it's still not my doing. It was all Christ's doing. I was simply the instrument that was used at the moment--or as Jeremy Erickson put it, I was the mirror.

This is a truth that I have to daily remind myself of. The simple trap that we all fall into is that of pride--of us thinking that we were the ones who ultimately led the person to Christ. We were just the tools that He used. And we need to remember that.

That doesn't go to say that we didn't have a part--I mean, we get to be the INSTRUMENTS of GOD; it doesn't get much more amazing than that. But we need to remember and embrace the truth that it was God who did the work. He was the one who breathed through us--He was the one who made us play. He helped us to reflect His light, in order to shine His truths in the dark.

So often we can fill our heads with self-glorifying thoughts. Thoughts of, "Oh, I'm holier than thou." Those are the thoughts that lead to destruction.

1st Peter 5:6 says:

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,

Exalting here doesn't mean making you holier--it means God letting His light shine through you. It means having Him use you as an instrument. It means being breathed through with God's voice, and being propelled to use that which you've felt to share His truth.

It means to let go of "it was my doing" and instead, EMBRACE that it was His.


Note that it said the proper time. That means exactly what it says. The proper time. The time when it's needed. You would not begin banging a drum obnoxiously and without cause right in the middle of a flutist's solo, and neither will God have you witness for Him when it is not the right time.

That's not to say that we aren't ready. If we believe in Jesus, and if we follow Him and love Him--then we are ready. It's simply a choice of listening to his call--listening to the great orchestrator's sign and choosing whether or not we respond.

To close it up, I mentioned throughout this post we are instruments of God. He works through us. He chooses the instrument that He is going to use at the moment--the one that is equipped, or the one that is needed. The one that is ready.

But that doesn't mean He uses them in the same way.

Just as you wouldn't play a flute like you would a tuba, or a violin like you would an oboe, God doesn't use everyone in the same way. You were uniquely created to reflect God's truth and His love in your way.

Embrace that. Live it.

14 comments :

  1. it is hard to remember He the one who convicts...but your life can be an example of Him at work in a life, transforming and renewing...the Holy Spirit is powerful if we remember to let Him sit on the throne.

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  2. Beautiful post! Thank you for allowing God to use you to share this with us, my sister.

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  3. Wow, that was a great post, Hannah. That is hard sometimes. Thinking, oh, it would be so awesome if "I" brought someone to Christ. Jeremey did tell it how it is, we are merely mirrors of God.
    I guess I'll be God's mericful encourager (ROCK).
    Alex

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  4. I was blessed by what the Lord gave you to share on this post. It is beautiful, uplifting and I am encouraged.
    I am learning to trust in Jesus. All that I once held dear built my life upon all this world reveres and wars to own all I once thought gain I have counted lost spent and worthless now compared to this: Knowing Jesus.
    It is so nice to know other young women who are bringing glory to God in the life that He has given.
    ~Grace

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  5. Lovely post. The second half was even better than the first. :)

    Love you, and so glad you didn't give IT up,

    Bekah

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  6. Great post. That is so awesome.


    God bless!

    ~M

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  7. I loved how you said "He was the one who made us play". You're very right. All glory goes to God, and we are just the instruments. But what an honor!!

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  8. lovely post hannah!! :)
    hugs my friend

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  9. Hey hon, just checking in to see how you're doing. I guess I haven't been around in awhile, cause I only now saw the posts on your high white blood cell count. I was like "AACK! I can't believe I missed something that horrible!!" I felt about ready to shoot myself. Well, hopefully THAT won't happen again in the future. And I hope something like that doesn't happen again to you. Sounds awful.

    I love the ending of this blog post...it's really sweet, it reminds me of a song by the band Superchic(k), called "So Beautiful", I think....

    Talk to ya soon!
    Love ya!

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  10. Right on! We can be faithful to scatter the seeds when God gives us a chance, or to water a seed when He calls, but it's God alone who can provide growth.

    Camden

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  11. love the post. love your blog...im going to recommend it to my daughter...

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