Philippians 3:15-16

I belong to a ministry (and group of friends) that make it a point to break down a chapter of the bible. We assign a verse to a date and then to a member of the group. Then we each take turns breaking down and sharing what the Lord is speaking to us in that order.

It has been very encouraging and good to read but also be a part of. It definitely ensures that members of your group are spending time in the word. But it also helps build intimacy in your group. So, I thought it was worth sharing with you. Anyway, this week it is my turn.  This was my verse and here was what was on my heart! May it be a blessing to you.

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All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained. – Philippians 3:15-16

This verse speaks a lot to me in all areas of our lives.  The first is in how we should embrace ourselves.   My kids are still in elementary school. Many times when they see their friends do something different or get something new, they feel as if they need to have the exact same too. The same jeans. The same skateboard. The same games on their iPods. I’ve also heard my daughter say, “But I can’t sing like her.” And my son say “But he’s doing it (naming his best friend) and I’ve gotta do it to!”  Sometimes we don’t grow out of that when we’re older.

Don’t we look to our peers sometimes and think I wish that I could paint like her. I wish that had a marriage like that. I wish that I had the same job or could do those things. We write ourselves, our gifts and our things off as if they don’t compare adequately to the world around us.

But here, this verse says “All of us who are mature should take such a view of things.”  As it said in the previous verses “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead”.  (It doesn’t say look to your right and left at who’s running by you.) It encourages me to embrace where I am. Who I am. To practice what gifts I might have. Don’t some of those places feel awkward as we start off this new practice?

I used to say that I wasn’t creative. Mostly because I didn’t really have any proof of it.  I dismissed most of my ideas thinking that they sounded better only in my head. But then I started practicing and saying “I am creative. Let me try.” It was mostly in small ways like, painting rocks with the kids here or making something for someone there.  It felt awkward at first but the more I tried, the more I felt myself coming to life.

Even in writing, I always wanted to be a writer. I used to write a lot of poetry in school. I stopped for a long time but when I began getting inspired to write differently and to share it publicly… I felt silly and worried “What if….and I was wrong?”

But by believing that there is a purpose for those desires and “pressing on”; it has allowed me to see how God can use me. He may not have made you like Sally or Jane but that was because someone in your life needed something that only you could do.

Doesn’t that also translate to how we grow in the word and by faith? “My testimony will never sound like his or hers.” or “I am not a preacher. I can’t talk to someone about God.” And “I will sound stupid if I pray out loud.” –By not daring to practice, we miss the opportunity to grow in it.

No toddler ever learns to walk without falling. Every parent knows that and so we encourage them to get up and try again. We should practice the same maturity and acceptance with ourselves.

Whatever it is that you feel you should be doing, start doing it. Know that there will be mistakes. Know that you can’t “know and do it all” from where you are. If you step wrong the first time, God will correct it. If it feels uncomfortable, keep practicing. You will learn all kinds of ways to do it better and then you’ll have knowledge. –Even in faith, sharing the word and your testimony; speak and share what you know now. (what you have attained to be true) and if some part of your thinking is different than what it should be, God will make that clear to you when it’s the right season to do so.

My Pastor always says that faith is like a library. If you get stuck on a concept or principle, just put that book back up on the shelf for later. Don’t try to have it all figured out right now. Let the Lord lead you with what you do know and the rest of the information will come later when you’re ready. His comment reminds me a lot of this passage.

Finally, I don’t know what season you’re in but even when we come into transitions. We want to move ahead but we plague ourselves with doubt and sometimes hold ourselves back, because we don’t know what it’s like on the other side of that decision. This verse again, reminds us to have confidence in what we do know to be true about Christ. –That he will be with us wherever we go (Joshua 1:9).  That he upholds us (Is 41:10). That he is our personal teacher/counselor (John 14:26) and HE is sufficient for all of our needs. (Phil 4:19)

Embrace where you are ladies and let the Lord lead you. Don’t worry about being different. You already are. Challenge yourself to do new things. Stop worrying about what everyone else might think or what you might do wrong because it’s stifling the flow in your own life and maybe even someone else's.

Photo Credit: http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/18/6339583/iphone-6-and-6-plus-camera-test-iceland