***I have some brisk words to share with you, words I wrote two years ago and have needed to hear again and again throughout my life. If you prefer soft, cuddly messages from God, you will hate this. Consider yourself warned.
I will start with a quote from Paul David Tripp.
“You live your life in the utterly mundane. And if God doesn’t rule your mundane, he doesn’t rule you, because that’s where you live.
“Live with a ‘God’s Story’ mentality. Redeeming love is not just big-moment love. It reaches into the private recesses of your every day life.
“When you wake up in the morning, ask first, ‘How could it be that God would love me so much?’ and you will be free from the bondage of self-love.”
Whew. That would be enough for us all to reflect on for a day or five, wouldn’t it? P.D.Tripp gave me another phrase that I have not forgotten: The claustrophobic kingdom of one, versus the big-sky purposes of God. This perspective has been so helpful in sorting through my naturally selfish wants and feelings. I think we all sense when we are being unlovely and entitled, but we often lack the strength to call it what it is: sin. I have two columns that help me categorize my responses and reactions in life.
His Will ———– My Will
Be conformed to His image Be personally fulfilled
Love without strings attached Feel valued and cherished by others
Use talents for others Creativity for attention
Die daily Live a happy life
Become holy Become better
Be led by the Spirit Forge my own destiny
Walk a narrow, difficult way Find the easy path
Freely give Somebody serve me
Endurance Ease
Eternal rewards Payment now
The conflict is at the cross. If I want my mundane life, my Monday morning in February, to be infused with anything more than drudgery, it has to be lived for a much greater purpose than my own “claustrophobic kingdom of one”. The key is (cringe) death to myself and the way to unlock the whole enormous world of working as a co-laborer with God is not in the nobility of what I am doing, but in my dying to my own grandiose ideas of what life should be.
How I hate dying. Here is the thing. Jesus doesn’t kill me. I give up; I kill me. He doesn’t force me; I have free choice.
He lures me with His great love; I follow, fascinated, consumed, entranced by the wonder of living large in my small place. He takes every space I give Him and He glorifies it with His beauty.
Today I accept His conditions for expansion out of my narrow little valley kingdom that keeps dipping into poverty and grubbiness into His story that is for His glory.
***Shew! It was true on January 4, 2017, and it’s still true today. I wrote a list then of things that needed to be infused with glory.
- my home
- my classroom
- my parenting
- my marriage
- my writing
- my friendships
- my attitudes
- my kitchen 🙂
All, all of it.
Anybody with me?
Have a wonderful day!
wocket in my pocket 
I’m so glad you reposted this, Dorcas. I’m going to ponder this more as I go about my day and week.
Good good words. I need to hear this often. I really need to constantly ask myself. …”is this (whatever I want to do or have dreams of doing) of God or my selfish wants/desires? Have I given these things up to God? Do I have open hands?” We are here to glorify God after all. Thank you for being a true friend and reminding us of these truths.
“The claustrophobic kingdom of one, versus the big-sky purposes of God.” This is stimulating indeed. Thanks for the repost!
This is really good, Dorcas! I wrote down the quote about how could it be that God would love me so much and freedom from the bondage of self-love. I’ve been struggling still with depression and needed this reminder to aim higher.