My idea seems so big - too big to chew all at once.
So in an attempt to avoid the overly-knawed-indigestible-wad of ideas that will inevitably be discreetly discarded into Grandma Mima's napkins...
We are going to take this slow. One bite at a time.
So, I'm first going to share with you my original response to the previous post because that's where this whole idea began (I promise for all you reds out there, I will try to move quickly onto the points that bring all this together - bear with me).
In the I Believe study from IF:Gathering, the one I linked last time (and you can find it HERE if you haven't done it already), the headliner is, "I BELIEVE God is the Maker of Earth and All that is Seen."
Following the teaching in the book they offer three simple response questions which I mentioned in the previous post.
IF you believe this is TRUE, what does this mean about:
1. God:
2. Yourself:
2. The World:
Here is what I had to say... (typed as-is from my chicken scratches in the book)
What does this mean about GOD?
God is CREATOR = God is CREATIVE
God is MAKER = God is a DOER/ACCOMPLISHED
God is DECIDER = God is DECISIVE
God's work He declares GOOD = God loves quality and excellence.
What does this mean about yourself?
Believing in God the creator is where I can most easily see myself to be made in His image. Creative, accomplished, decisive, lover of quality, striver for excellence. He chose ME to bring him glory in THESE areas. How HUMBLING (and amazing)!
What does this mean about the world"?
No one can deny the Creator God. No one has excuse. We must worship and one day ALL WILL worship the Almighty God!
__________________________________
It was uncanny - I looked at the first list and I saw myself like never before, in all my redness, right there in front of me. But it wasn't me - it was GOD IN ME. Me, made in HIS Image. It made me PROUD to say I can "get sh* done" because that's how He made me. But he didn't make me to be ALL of him. He didn't make any of us to be ALL of him. That's why we need each other so badly.
So, yea. Maybe he did give me a little more get-it-done than you (or maybe you have even more than me). But there have been countless times I've felt ashamed at what I didn't have. Frankly, He left out some pretty important stuff.
Compassion? Nope.
Empathy? Nada.
Those are some pretty BIG things for a "good Christian" to have. So many times I've burdened myself, blaming myself, thinking that I wasn't what God called me to be because the "feelings of others" are just never anywhere near the front of my mind. Like EVER. (Granted, it's a skill you learn after having your foot surgically removed from your mouth a certain number of times - I can do it, but its not the way I'm CREATED). And MAN did I feel guilty - A LOT.
That all changed when I looked at this list. I was so humbled that God would model me after the CREATOR part of His being. So instead of be ashamed of what I'm lacking, I know I just need to rely on HIM (and on His people) to help me grow in this area - to add this to my character. And what He gave me was exactly enough. I could stop feeling guilty about what I wasn't and start feeling empowered by what I was - HIS creation.
So, the first bite I really already asked you to take, is whether or not your know yourself. The second is equally, and possibly more important...
Do you know God? Do you know Him well enough to identify what parts of Himself are put together in the unique way that makes YOU?
I found my list of qualities in the story of Creation. In what other amazing stories that show us glimpses of God's character can you find your personal makeup?
This is the challenge - don't do it just for this "book" do it for yourself:
***Put together YOUR list of God's characteristics that are evident and natural to you.***
If this seems so vastly unknowable - do the hard work. Get in the Word, read His stories, get to know yourself by getting to know the Father Himself.
{A final note: Being able to know what parts of God are in you will help you figure out the first of your stories I want you to tell (don't worry, I'll go first). Think about that one time, that one thing that you did or that happened to you when you knew, "I was MADE for this!" It can be because of an accomplishment at work or in sports, or success over an obstacle or knowing how well you handled defeat. The circumstances don't have to be life changing - relating your simple story and identifying God at work in it is enough to change the lives of those who hear it.
Yes, the stories we all hold close of loss, or suffering, or even victory over insurmountable odds are the stories we wish we didn't have (or may make us feel insignificant if we don't) - that's not what I'm looking for right now. Yes, those HUGE moments define us, but we don't begin and end with them - we are shaped by all the little things too. I challenge those of you with BIG stories - think of something small. I challenge those of you who think you have NO story, you do.}
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