The Rat Race

Last Friday I got a text from my mom asking me if I was aware that I could graduate a whole year early if I took a few more mini terms. (I'm already graduating one semester early, so it's really not undoable.) In the process of thinking and praying about this option, I texted one of my best friends and told her. She shared that she may talk to her advisor about trying to do the same thing but it would be difficult. Long story short, I'm not planning on graduating that early and neither is she. After I talked to my mom some more and made that decision, I texted her with the news.

"Oh good! I thought I was gonna have to kill myself to finish with y'all"

Hmm. How often do we have this motto in our everyday lives? I think a lot of us try so desperately to keep up with others. We want to go the same pace they seem to be going and feel discouraged when we can't.

Really, "life can feel a lot like a rat race." (Britt Nicole - How We Roll)

But it's not supposed to feel that way, friends. It's not about "keeping up" with people around us. We have to start truly living the life Jesus died to give us. It's not about finishing school at the same time, getting married at the same time, or finding the perfect job by the time you're 23.

I

t's about Jesus. It's living for His glory and building the kingdom.

My old youth pastor recently spoke at a dnow where I was a leader, and he said we are minor characters. A minor character is defined as someone who helps move the story line along. God is the main character, but we all get to be minor characters. How cool is that?? In His grand story, we have a part to play!

Many times we're bogged down with decisions, striving after earthly things, and well, "killing ourselves to finish with everyone else." (Definitely talking to myself here too.)

But I don't think that's what God wants for us. We're supposed to put it all in His hands. Really, it already is and we have to trust that He's got us.

He's not asking us to kill ourselves trying to keep up with someone else's part in the story. He's asking us to simply trust. To live our lives and do what He is calling us to today. Not to worry about the future, and not to compare ours with others.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew‬ ‭6:34‬ ESV)

After another dnow, at our leader debrief lunch, I overheard something that has truly stuck with me. The speaker for that weekend was talking about how people often asked him if his goal was to eventually be a head pastor or something else. He said after a while his answer started being, "I don't know but today I'm called to this" (This being his current ministry/job) How refreshing. God has called us to be exactly where we are today, even if the purpose is unknown to us. No need to rush to the "next thing."

“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.” (Galatians‬ ‭6:4-5‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

“Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” (‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭10:12 ESV)

The comparison game isn't fun. It's quite miserable actually...so why do we do it? Honestly I don't know. Different factors contribute to that reason, but ultimately it's a trick of the devil. If he can get us so focused on worrying about what we need to do and freaking out when things don't go exactly right, we aren't very useful to actually do the things because our focus is gone.

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans‬ ‭12:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

The call is simple but not easy. Give yourself to God. Let your life be for His glory. He WILL transform us.

P.S. Sometimes I think reading different translations of verses helps, so here's Romans 12:1-2 in The Message version.

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (Romans‬ ‭12:1-2‬ ‭MSG‬‬)

#race #comparison #glory #kingdom #striving #live