July 16, 2008 ~ It’s Not About Me
It’s not about you.
~ “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren
I love the fact that Rick Warren began his runaway bestseller with those four little words. Sort of socks you in the gut, don’t they? What? It’s not about me??? Not even a little bit? We are created by and for God so He is where we can find our true identity, not within our own minds – regardless of how brilliant we may perceive ourselves to be. I can craft a carefully-created image to project to the world, but it’s not my true self, is it? It says nothing about who I truly am or what I am purposed for in this life. That’s because we aren’t self-made regardless of what we’ve accomplished or how we’ve failed. We are His creation. And He knows us through-and-through, including the reason we were uniquely created.
I remember being in high school and trying so hard to conform my naturally curly hair into the styles
popularized by the the “beautiful people” of Sharpstown High 1977. Stick-straight hair was “in” and naturally curly was “out,” but it didn’t matter how straight I managed to force my hair to lay in the morning, by lunchtime, with Houston’s humidity, I was maneuvering the cafeteria line with either one of two “out” styles – curly or (gasp!) frizzy. God had made me curly-headed. It was how He made me, and it was part of who I was. And, when I was born with that head of curly hair, He must’ve said, “It’s good!” even if I didn’t see it that way all throughout my teens.
He made me. He knows me. He knows that I’ve lost that curly hair to chemotherapy, and He knows how many hairs have returned. See, He loves me so much that He keeps track of all those little details about me (Luke 12:6-7). More importantly, He knows what plan He has for my life – and He still has one! Even though I’ve got cancer. Oh, I can thwart it if I choose to and try to figure things out for myself, but what I can’t do on my own is know why He made me – what purpose He has for my life. I need Him for that because He is the one that made me and the plan. If I want to discover it, I need Him.
If I’d been consulted about this plan, I’d have edited out the part about curly hair. And the part about cancer. But it’s not about me. It’s about Him and what He wants me, His creation, to do with this life that He’s given me. From before I was born, He knew I’d have this challenge and it is up to me to draw close to Him and learn all that He wants me to learn from it. I also believe that He wants me to reach out from the center of it and encourage others by what He is doing in the midst of this storm. And, mostly, to tell about His great love for each of us.
So, you see, Rick Warren is right. It’s not about me. It’s about His plan for me. It’s about His plan for you.
He has one, and only He can reveal your life’s purpose. It doesn’t matter if you think you’ve blown it before. It doesn’t matter if you think you’re too young, or too old. It doesn’t matter if you’re ill. Doesn’t matter if you’ve known tremendous success or heart-clenching failure. He still has a purpose for you. Draw close to Him, whisper your prayer of desire to live within that purpose and then listen closely. He created you. He loves you. And He knows all the details of who you are and why you’re here.
