Tag: Using our gifts

A Continual Holy Calling

by Linda Russell, posted in A Holy Whack, Follow Me, God's plan, If not us, then who?

Go ahead – try to hide from God

(Shaquille O’Neal – like you can’t tell!)

Last Sunday was the Feast of the Ascension, celebrated by many Christian faiths.  

Let’s begin with a refresher of the lead-up to this pivotal moment, just in case you slept through it, or you didn’t think it applied to you.

 The big question is, why did God send Jesus here?

It wasn’t to flex his muscles – although he could have.  He could have taken his anger out on our sinfulness and rejection and wiped us all out.  He did it before you know…No, it was to show us in the most powerful way he could how deep his love is for us, particularly those who suffer.

It wasn’t to gather groupies who would idolize him, serve him, and cater to his every whim – although that would have been easier.  All he had to do was eliminate free will.  But our free will to love him – or not – was too important to him even though the will of those in power nailed his Son to the cross.  No, it was to model meekness, humility, and service to those most in need. 

It wasn’t to puff out his chest and boast of his great might – although he had plenty to boast about.  No, his extravagant love was manifested through his beloved Son, not puffed up and boastful, but rejected and slumped over on a cross.

And so, Jesus comes without any fanfare

Jesus came to earth as a human being, just like you and me (we seem to have a hard time believing that).  He had a particular purpose to fulfill, just like you and me (we can’t seem to believe that either).

God wanted him to show us up close and personal how deeply and passionately we are loved, how much he longs to bless us, and how we should care for and be blessings to others (those truths also seem to have been lost to us on our often broken journey). Jesus set out to fulfill his purpose even though he knew he was making a lot of “important” people angry, so angry they would kill him.  I’m pretty sure no one wants to kill us for striving to be all God created us to be (though that’s not true for many Christians even today.

Just to be sure though, we have to come up with some excuse to opt out – and we do: I’m not smart enough, I’m busy, I don’t think that applies to me.  I need to straighten up my messy life and my underwear drawer first (BTW, you can quit using that one.  Everyone knows your mother does that for you).

Daily, Jesus had to decide if he would keep doing what he came to do.  Just before they came to take him away, scripture tells us that he was in agony, praying that God would make it disappear (Luke 22:39-46).  After all, the human side of him did not want to suffer.  But, in the end, he accepted whatever God’s will was.

In Holy Week – we are reminded of Jesus’ suffering, death, and glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday, which we celebrate as the church’s most powerful reminder of how much God loves us!  Easter Sunday is the moment in time when the disciples came out of hiding, when their fears and doubts fell away, for a while anyway.

And now we come to the Ascension (Acts 1:5-11).  This is when the disciples and Jesus get together for the last time, and they ask him if this would be his grand finale – restoring God’s kingdom.  They were beside themselves with excitement and anticipation.

And his response?  “Yeah, that’s not your business.  That is the business of God.  But, not to worry; he will fill you with the Holy Spirit to help you carry on in my name.  The work you will do will be epic!”

Then, poof, he was gone.  The disciples just stood there scratching their heads and staring up into the emptiness.  Then, two guys in white robes showed up, “Hey, what are you doing?  Why are you just standing there?  It’s time to pull up your big boy pants and get going.  It’s called adulating guys.  Jesus worked with you for three years to bring you to this moment of becoming response-able for your part in God’s kingdom work.”

So, what now?

God tells us he made us in his image and had special plans for us before we were even born.  He gave everyone gifts and talents and, at the same time, made each person unique and special.  (Jeremiah 29:11)

(Charles Schultz quote)

Sure, you may doubt yourself.  You may not want to risk using gifts you feel inadequate to pursue.  But, if you trust that God gave you those gifts, then you must believe that he has already given you everything you need to use them for his glory.  Not doing that would be sort of like gifting you with a new car and not giving you the keys.

What do you say?

If you haven’t already, there is no better time than now to reflect prayerfully on your life’s purpose.  Sit quietly with God and ask him to help you consider the following:

  • Do you enjoy helping others?
  • Do you consider yourself a leader?
  • What makes you happy – sad?
  • What are you passionate about?
  • Has someone else told you that you are good at something?
  • Who do you admire and why?  (Often, what we admire in others is what we would like to develop in ourselves).

God is waiting for each of us to come out of hiding, step out of our comfort zone, and serve this broken world.

It’s time to deeply contemplate Jesus’ life, death, resurrection – and his calling to each of us.  Is this your resurrection moment?  Is it time for your “yes”?  

2 Corinthians 5:17 proclaims that you are a new creation in Christ each new day, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

Also, and very importantly, when considering your gifts and how you are called to use them try not to get all full of yourself in the process – okay?  It would be easy to do, but, dear heart, this isn’t about you!  Sorry.

Now, go on.  What are you waiting for?  Have no doubt that God knows you’re a hot mess – so what?

Ignoring God’s Call – Bad Idea!

by Linda Russell, posted in A Holy Whack, Do Something, fear of failure, life is short
(iStock photo)

First, I will treat you to the condensed version: “What the #%*& am I waiting for?”

  • About twenty-three years ago, in a clear audible voice, God told me to write a book. So I did. Then, I paid $10,000 (yep, that’s the correct number of zeros) to have it edited and self-published. Two thousand copies were dropped off on my front porch a few months later. Then, I stared at them, realizing I knew nothing about marketing. And apparently, I knew nothing about trusting a “Christian publisher” who knew nothing about editing. So they languished in my basement until I had them burned. Literally. I rewrote the book and had five hundred printed. Most of those are still in boxes.
  • I continually claim I want to be healthy, yet I have started, changed, and failed on more diets than I ever wanted to admit. Oh yeah – and – mint chocolate ice cream!
  • I am determined to start running again. I dust off my running shoes, trip over boxes of books trying to get out the door. Then, have to rest with an ice pack on my ankle.
  • I have been writing a blog for 20 years and give up whenever I consider submitting articles for publication. When writing, I sometimes crack myself up with my weird sense of humor and occasionally impress myself when writing about some awesome AHA moment. But I’m likely just living in the light of my own ego.

So, that’s the condensed story of me getting and staying stuck for most of my adult life. Unfortunately, I can’t give you a number of years because I have never been good at “adulting” well!

Now, here I am, looking down the barrel of old age and the reality that I am not a modern-day female Methuselah who has lots of time to get my act together.

James Finley says of Step Two of AA, “The admitting then brings us to a place in which, if this is up to me, it is not looking good. As long as we were still holding on to this ideology of our brokenness as having the final say in who we are, we were not capable of seeing this because we actually had faith in our own brokenness as the power to name who we are.”

Another enlightening moment materialized for me after reading Dr. Joe Dispenza’s work, which I wrote about in my last post. He tells us to “Stop telling the story of your past and start telling the story of your future.”

Apparently, all of our “stuckness” is of our own making because we have allowed others to define us. That gets embedded into our beliefs about ourselves and directs our thoughts and actions. Fun stuff!

F. Scott Fitzgerald said:

“For what it’s worth… it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again.”

And so, here I sit after fracturing a pelvic bone and being told by the doctor to SIT for 4-6 weeks! I don’t listen well and certainly don’t “SIT” well! But, this incident certainly got my attention. Actually, I believe it was God that got my attention:

GOD: So, Linda, there you sit on your broken parts, checking off the days until you are mobile again. While you’re sitting there, have you come up with a new excuse for not using those gifts I gave you? You do know I never created a female version of Methuselah, right?

I’m losing my patience with you, Linda Russell. You don’t want me to lose my patience (read: Job and Jonah).

ME: Oops.

Alrighty then. Here I go. Today, I will spend my sitting time finding a Christian Publishing Company that accepts articles. Submit one. Say a prayer. Send. Then, celebrate with a well-deserved nap!

Fun Factoid: A French woman, Jeanne Calment, was certified as the oldest living person by the Guinness Book of Records. Then, it was discovered that her daughter stole her identity to avoid paying inheritance taxes!

Boring Sermon Causes Boy to Jump to His Death

by Linda Russell, posted in fear of failure, Using our gifts, Women serving God

Ladies, this one’s for you! Guys, you’re welcome to listen in if you can refrain from making faces or snarky comments. So, let’s continue:

He didn’t really jump. He fell. But he was still dead. But not for long because Paul revived him. Just to drag his aching body back upstairs to listen for hours more! Do you think I’m kidding? Here’s what happened: Acts: 20:7-12, “We met on Sunday to worship and celebrate the Master’s Supper. Paul addressed the congregation. We planned to leave first thing in the morning, but Paul talked on and on the way past midnight….A young man named Eutychus was sitting in an open window. As Paul went on and on, Eutychus fell sound asleep and toppled out the third-story window. When they picked him up, he was dead. Paul went down, fell on him (Resuscitation methods certainly have evolved, haven’t they?), and hugged him hard. “No more crying,” he said. “There’s life in him yet.” Then Paul… went on telling stories of the faith until dawn!”

Take a hint, Paul!

So, some preaches should not be preaching

Paul certainly had his gifts, but droning on and on may not have been his crowning achievement.

Some teachers should not be teaching

Matthew 23:13 (NIV), “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.”

Some prophets maybe should not have been prophesying, at least not naked

Isaiah 20:3, “And the LORD said, Like as my servant Isaiah hath walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and wonder upon Egypt and upon Ethiopia….”

On the other hand, some who have been gifted fail to say “yes” to their calling.

Ladies, I am talking to you in particular!

And there is no better time than now as we approach Jesus’ final hours to discuss this topic.

You know how this goes. Jesus had been walking with and teaching his disciples for three years. But, unfortunately, they were a motley crew of doubters, nay-sayers, and power grabbers, often blind fools who could not see beyond their cultural biases.

And the women? They understood very well their customs and traditions. They were inferior to men, under the rule of their fathers or husbands, and had no authority in any area of their lives. Women were not allowed in the Temple to worship, and talking to strangers was forbidden. The slightest infraction of these laws often resulted in their being stoned to death.

Then along came Jesus. Glory be! He loved them, talked to them, and raised them to a new status. Though it may be difficult to believe because they are rarely named, Jesus had many female disciples. Who stuck around when Jesus was led to his trial? The men? NO! They ran scared. It was the women who stayed with him from the moment he touched their lives until his resurrection.

The men ran off in fear because this was not what they had envisioned. They were sure Jesus came as an earthly king, and they would share in his power. When it was clear things were going badly, they hid behind locked doors to save their own sorry butts.

Not so the women. Ah, you gotta love those women! Jesus had so empowered them that there was nothing that would keep them away from his side. It’s as if they were saying to all those who participated in Jesus’ crucifixion, “Go ahead, make my day! Crucify me too! I’m not afraid of you anymore!”

Who did Jesus first appear to after his resurrection? The disciples? No! Okay, probably not We don’t know for sure. Most scripture scholars believe it was Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary.” Some scholars say he did not appear to Mary first but to Cleopas or the disciples, but it is important to remember that some scripture writers were concerned about cultural norms that could have influenced their writing. So, I’m sticking with Mary on this one.

What is important is what we take away from Jesus’ love for and treatment of women, the worth and value he placed on them. Remember, for men in those days, it was all about power. Serving others was foreign to them; it was not their responsibility, not so with women. Women are innately gifted for service, nurturing, compassion, and putting others first. That was the connection they had with Jesus. A man who valued and related to their giftedness for the first time in their life.

I am reasonably sure you will not feel you have anything to offer until you believe how deeply God loves you and how he longs to forgive the sins you cling to as proof that you are not worthy of that love. That was the reality for me. Life had convinced me that I was a terrible mistake. I deduced that he wasn’t there when I was being abused because he didn’t care, and he undoubtedly hated me for my own sinfulness.

But then something happened that changed my life. It was a pivotal moment that I talked about in my book. That moment when God said, “Linda, I was there when you were being abused, suffering right along with you, and I was there every time you sinned. But your life will be restored if you turn to me and seek my forgiveness and mercy. Your true self – the person I created out of love – will emerge and thrive! Just trust me.

God has called each of us to use our gifts for his glory, to make our little corner of the world a better place, and to let his light shine on our suffering brothers and sisters. I don’t know what gifts God has given you. But if they are teaching, preaching, or prophesying, just don’t be boring, and don’t do it naked…PLEASE!