Your Best Life Now

A close friend of mine gave me Joel Osteen's Daily Readings from Your Best Life Now. It is a 90-day devotional book. Today I read the first entry. It never ceases to amaze me how we can hear something over and over - or read something just as often - and it never really hits home until we are ready to understand. Or how about this: You read or hear something and it strikes a chord with you. Time passes and you hear or read it again only to have a different chord struck! God is so cool. That is why He stays interesting and we remain intrigued. If we had all of the answers to life's persistent questions we wouldn't continue to seek Him, would we?

The Scripture passage that goes along with the first devotion in the book is Hebrews 11:8-40. To be honest, I do not know if I got out of it what Mr. Osteen intended. It is more important that I got something tailor-made for me.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.

Hm. Well we know Abram's father, Terah, set out for Canaan when he brought his family out of Ur, but he never made it that far. So perhaps Abraham knew at least in which direction to strike out. Somehow, I think that is a minor detail. The fact is, Abraham heard and went. I spend entirely too much time whining about not knowing where to go next in my walk with God. The problem with whining is it makes me stand still rather than move!

When we keep reading we find that Abraham & his ongoing family dwelt in tents in this land of promise.

...for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

So, Abraham never truly saw it, that place of promise. He got there, but didn't really see it in all its glory. Still, he didn't give up like his father Terah did. Abraham believed exactly what God said. To me, this indicates Abraham was a big thinker with a broad perspective. This is almost painfully evident during the time Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac. At the end of the passage we read:

And all these, having obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.

Therefore, the "heroes of faith" worked...built for the culmination of all things. They fully understood what it meant to be part of a body, each one having its own role to play in the grand scheme of things.

I've been talking about it a lot lately; being self-absorbed. I believe there is a balance between "Me, me, me" and "Everyone & everything else." Of course we need time to ourselves - time to do what we like and want to do. Jesus did that, too. But to spend our entire lives focused only on ourselves seems to be such a waste of time and talent.

Recently, people have been telling me things they see in me. I laugh or deny, waving them off or even begging them not to say what they are saying, as many times I have been hearing the same things from totally different sources in completely different locations. Because I am my own worst enemy and an even harder self-critic, I cannot see what people see. Does this mean I am blinded to my own giftings and talents? Should I be listening a little more seriously to those God puts in my path? *sigh* I just don't know. Too many times I have thought I was moving ahead only to be blindsided or stopped in my tracks. It is discouraging, isn't it? I know I am not the only person to have experienced such things.

Osteen writes that often people are reluctant to continue a hard journey because they are satisfied with where they are. They lose their drive to excel, to explore new horizons, to experience vistas they'd never previously imagined possible. They have tasted a bit of success and they think, "This is good enough."

Why do we stop? I know we get tired and we get discouraged, but aren't those earthly, human stumbling blocks? I'm sure Abraham and the other heroes got tired and discouraged, but they didn't stop. What's the difference? I believe it is their broad perspective - the ability to see the bigger picture and the greater good. Osteen continues:

Often we have a goal, but over time we get lazy. Maybe we see a little improvement, but then we get comfortable right where we are. Where we are may not be a bad place, but we know it is not where we're supposed to be....We are not pursuing the excellence that God has placed in our hearts. God has so much more in store!

It is no secret that I have been pretty miserable at work. Yet, there I stay. Why? Because the known, bad as it may be, is easier than the unknown. In my case, staying in my present position is the path of least resistance. It isn't fun, and it isn't easy, but at least I know what to expect...to include a steady paycheck. Osteen encourages us to "Dare to step out of our comfort zone." He goes on to say, "It doesn't take anymore effort to believe and stay filled with faith than it does to develop a negative and defeated attitude." (I may have to disagree with that one....being negative and defeated comes mighty easily to me. But then, that isn't God's best for me, is it?)

The encouragment continues:

You are made for more than good enough. Enlarge your vision! ...You simply need to focus on your goal, set your course, and have the attitude, I'm not going to settle for a little..a bit...a small helping...No, I am going to reach my full potential in God. I am going to start living my best life now!

Hm . . . just what is my goal, anyway?

In his closing prayer, Osteen asks us to pray about trusting God to do more in and through our lives. Yeah, that stuck on me. Trusting God is something that does not come naturally or easily for me. And then I had this thought:

What requires more trust than blind faith in God? Especially when we feel we have been let down by Him. This let-down may have occured indirectly-in the instances where someone might say, "God didn't let you down, people did." Still, we ask the question, "Why did God let people fail me?" The truth of the matter is this: God is Who He says He is. Sovereign. He is active in our lives, whether we see, hear, or feel Him. We really need to get past our "feelings" and move on with what we know is true - that He loves us and has great things in store for our lives. We must give Him control! If nothing else, we need to remember that life is so much better with Him - to include the unknowns and the hurts - than without Him.