A few years ago, I fell in love with an indoor, computerized bike. I enjoyed exercising every day and was able to maintain a program consistently … until … a few days ago.
A computer update skewed all my output numbers… leaderboard placement, calories burned, strive levels, etc., all painfully inaccurate after the update. Even though I knew the numbers were inaccurate … I’ve got to tell you, it started to rob me of joy. A three year love affair with this machine came to a screeching halt.
That’s when God stepped into my dilemma to teach me a spiritual lesson. He whispered to my heart, and asked me to remember how I started.
I started because I loved my bike, and wanted to get healthy. The leaderboard was not part of my heart’s motivation.
Truth is, I had become outcome driven in my spiritual walk as well. Before moving to the city where I currently reside, I was serving large … speaking, leading, mentoring, and writing. But currently, my service is much quieter … loving my husband, serving my neighbor, creating a home that’s a soft place to fall for family and visitors, and writing a blog for an audience of One.
I remember how I started my Christian walk … I fell in love with Jesus. When I met Him and realized how much He loved me by coming to die for me on the Cross .. that love spilled over into every part of my life. I wanted to make Him known. I wanted everyone to know my beautiful Jesus.
Remembering the initial heart’s desire is like returning to my first love, kindling the flame that originally ignited my heart.
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
~ Joel 2:13
When I return to my First Love … I find I am loved, forgiven, filled, satisfied from my head to my toes. I find peace for the turmoil now, and hope for a beautiful future … and then I walk into my day standing on solid ground, filled to the brim with His goodness, strong enough to face whatever comes.
I find that I am SO loved, before I do anything. Outputs make me forget that I am not what I do, and not what I have, or achieve … I am a beloved child of God. So are you. Results and accolades gain man’s approval; motivations of the heart, God’s.
Galatians 1:10 warns about seeking man’s approval instead of God’s,
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
We love outcomes. They are tangible ways to measure ourselves. Problem is, no matter how good the outcome … it is not where we find peace or strength. Outcomes are fickle, Jesus is not. We desire results; God wants to give us Himself. The applause of the world cannot compare.
My challenge to you is …remember how you started, don’t worry about the outcome. Maybe you started a job to make a difference but the job has become increasingly difficult; rekindle your first love. Maybe it’s a marriage that’s gotten off-track; return to your first love. Maybe you’re caring for an aging loved one who doesn’t even remember you. Take heart, there is One who remembers you and sees you serving in a thankless, unseen job.
Seemingly small acts of service still offer a quiet testimony of God’s faithfulness and diligence in our lives. There is no such thing as a small job when you work for the King.
I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.
~ Helen Keller
The world loves to measure and gladly shows us where we fall short. But If we’re going to measure, let’s measure this …
… grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. ~ Ephesians 3:18-19
Measure the depth of His love, and you will find there is no outcome worthy of our desire, Only Jesus.
