What exactly is standing in your way?

It’s a simple question but the answer may surprise you. 

Most of us are pretty confident we know how to do something. Ask engaged people how they learned to become a successful married couple and you will get answers that will certainly surprise you. Ask someone at the office how they learned to be a great team builder that always looks out the well being of others and never takes credit for innovative ideas. You may get a blank stare. Talk to parents of teenagers about their expertise in dealing with the angst and cynicism that seems to plague the next generation and they may laugh out loud at you. Or sit with someone who’s aging and really listen to their anxious questions about managing their day to day troubles with social media or phishing schemes, their expectations as to health care and fears about their end of life issues.  

Why do we settle for fumbling through something as important as life without someone to instruct or coach us do so?

Instruction is crucial to how we grow and ultimately transform our lives. Someone way wiser than me revealed the truth about us long ago. He wrote, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:7) Marie Kondo came up with the same conclusion. Her instruction and wisdom brings clarity to our situations in life. It’s not limited to just tidying up.

“Think back to your childhood. I’m sure most of us have been scolded for not tidying up our rooms, but how many of our parents consciously taught us how to tidy as part of our upbringing? Our parents demanded that we clean up our rooms, but they too, had never been trained in how to do that. When it comes to tidying, we are all self-taught. Instruction in tidying us neglected not only at home but also at school.” (Page 10)

Self-taught. Hmm…well, no one ever taught me—so I will teach me. But, I’m so limited. I make mistakes. What are other people learning? What does God say about this? Is there someone who can teach the right way to respond to crucial intersections in life and how to apply Godly wisdom to important life lessons? Most certainly! But, what really stands in the way of us becoming all we need to become is….us.

Jesus has an interesting exchange with the dynamic leader Peter in Matthew 16. 

Jesus begins to instruct his disciples about his upcoming death and how the religious authorities would do all this. Peter must have been exploding inside because he jumps up to Jesus and says, “Never in a million years would I let this happen to you!” (My interpretation) Jesus confronts Peter and says something none of us ever want to hear, “Get behind me Satan.” Peter didn’t have God’s will in his mind. Peter was responding from his own needs and his own understanding. Peter himself had been self-taught about things.

Jesus went on to say things would be different with God leading the way. He instructed the disciples about the coming to that all important intersection of our will and God’s will. Jesus instructed his disciples to pay attention to the people we surround ourselves with and the influences we allow into our lives. He instructed his disciples to pay close attention to the will of God and do our very best to fulfill it and to reminder there will be others who will want to derail our efforts. Mostly derail God’s goodness to be displayed in our lives.

Come Sunday. Let’s learn more about what God may be up to in your life. We will ask some good questions, learn a little more about the transformed life Jesus died to bring us and we may even learn a little more about tidying up. See you in church.

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. Matthew 16:24-25 NIV

Pastor Jen