“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
-Truman
I found myself in a new church this past Sunday morning. It’s a small Presbyterian church right next to my city’s University. It’s knows as the “Jesus Loves Students” church because of a tacky sign that once hung on the side of building. It’s actually a pretty interesting set up though. The basement has been retrofitted into a coffee shop, owned by a childhood friend of mine. Once a Pastor, now a barista (pretty much the same thing in my eyes… just the added bonus of unlimited lattes now).
Super proud of you Ben!
Anyways… I digress.
I’ve actually been ruminating over thoughts of “loss” or maybe better stated, a change of season that has brought a new normal to my life. Sitting in church, the pastor’s thought was like the proverbial cherry on top as to where my thoughts have been leading me. He stated, “We need to give up our right to be recognized.” Wow… It actually hit me like a ton of bricks. He was talking about how so many different organizations on campus were worried about naming the new Food Bank and how everyone wanted some sort of recognition in moving forward. Pastor stated that he didn’t care for any type of recognition; rather, he just wanted to make sure that people’s needs were being met.
Humble.
Sincere.
It was exactly where a Christian’s heart in serving other’s should be.
Mark 8:36 asks the question that all Christians should really dig into as they progress in life. When opportunities regarding vocation, notoriety and reputation come into play, we really need to ask ourselves what good is it for someone to gain the world and yet loose their soul. Now don’t get me wrong, this isn’t an anti-famous, anti-platform thought. We need people in high places to be shining examples. I just know that these are the moments where the things we once were authentic in our belief system can get blurred or even put out to pasture.
Me personally? I know that I’ve had the best of intentions in many things that I’ve put my hands to and yet somewhere along the way the task at hand became more about me than the task. Does that make sense? I guess my heart for you as the reader is that as you progress in your journey towards authenticity, nothing, not even the goal of authenticity itself would be seen as some sort of trophy to elevate your ego. I know this, that even after loosing things that so many people deem important (status, title, platform, etc.), I’ve come to a safe and secure place where my Father tells me, not only have I gained my soul, but the favor and blessing that comes along with authentic relationship with Him and with others. These things bring me more happiness and value to life than anything else I could ever chase.
When you’re on an authentic journey towards your true self, you will find that you have everything you need exactly where you find yourself. So live from that place. A place of thanks… A place that lives for others without ever needing any congratulations or any special sort of recognition. Keep your soul in tact while at the same time giving off exactly what the world needs; an authentic Christ follower. Again, I think Christ is more concerned with our hearts and the reason why we do the things we do more than He is with what we're doing. I want to do things in authenticity. I’m nowhere close. I guess that’s why it’s been on my mind as of late. I’m gonna continue to work on all of this. Feel free to try the same ;)
Stay low and stick to the cross!
Love you guys.
