It’s Not About Me…. But!!!
Good Morning. Started today very early. Looking forward to a few buddies coming by for coffee this morning, a very nice way to start the day. I will also hear from Dr. Patel today or tomorrow, and she will share my biopsy and what some next step options will be, related to my brain tumor. Some uncertainty there but I am ready for next steps. Let me share a simple, maybe quick thought.
“It’s not about me, but it starts with me!” For many many years of my life I was very focused on myself- my brokenness and inadequacies. Maybe this is a natural way for many of us to move through life and hopefully figure some things out. Turning 40 I was frustrated with my life and decided to do a 40 day fast to see if God would reveal some big truth to me. During that process, I felt like the only thing I really heard was Him saying “You can’t substitute time.” When I finished the 40 days and turned 40, I was a little frustrated with God. I felt like I had done my part, and He had not given me much. Slowly, what He spoke into me then began to be a game changer.
I began to understand the man I wanted to be was taking time. Part of the process was beginning to realize what I have complete control of is “myself” especially my “mindset.” I had to really shift my focus from letting others define me, validate me, or make me significant. I had to begin to understand the God of creation who has been my constant Father, loves me, believes in me and wants to work through me to be an extension of Jesus to others. The reality of “knowing the truth and that, the truth will set you free!!” Healing, growth, change cannot happen separate of “truth.”
This gets me back to the idea of “It’s not about me, but it starts with me!” What if God is calling me to construct a society that honors the human person as the image and likeness of God? Acknowledging we are each imperfect in this area, but we each still have the ability to live and model the image and likeness of God. For me, this idea has to start with my marriage and family. I have to see myself as a “man created in the image of God,” who has a Divine spark in me. If I don’t first see this truth in myself, I will never see it in the lives of others.
“It is not what God does for us that changes the human situation. It is what we do for God.” This is what starts with me. God has been so faithful and good to me. He has been a father who loves me, believes in me and gives me incredible grace. The more I live in that reality, the more peace gratitude, and influence I have in others lives. Happiness is a life lived in active mode! Active mode is not as much about my circumstances as it is about my mindset. My recent health issues do not change my mindset. Having a brain tumor does not change any truth about who I am as a child of God. A man who has been blessed with an amazing wife, children, grandchildren, friendships- so many blessings. The opportunity to walk with broken, hurting people I have been given over the last 20+ years has been such a gift. God does not need me to fix anyone. He needs and wants me to be an extension of His love and grace.
So…. I hope I still have many years to continue to be an extension of his love and grace. I want to take a moment to remind you today. You are loved by the God of creation. His love is not based on you being perfect- You are not. His love is based on who He is and who He is slowly shaping you to be. It’s not about you, but it starts with you! Love yourself today, and then find some simple way to be an extension to someone else today who needs to be reminded, they are loved by God!
Peace,