Following Jesus,
Sharing the Journey.
What do you want Jesus to do for you? In a recent conversation with a dear friend who is navigating some struggles in life, I pointed her to this question that Jesus once asked a blind man. Allow me to familiarize you with the original narrative as well as how I considered what my answer to this question might be. Perhaps. it will stimulate your own journey of answering this important question.
Like so many people, I often struggle with feeling valuable, particularly when navigating any number of dark valleys in life. Sometimes we struggle with self-worth because of something we have done or experienced. Maybe we lost a job or made a terrible, costly decision. Other times, the struggle is because of how someone else has treated us. If someone else treats me as worthless, then I might decide that I am worthless. Maybe our self-worth takes a hit when we look around and compare ourselves to someone else. There is always someone who is better at what we do or whose life appears to be easier or more perfect. One of Jesus’ most familiar parables portrays this issue of self-worth – the story of the prodigal son, as recorded in Luke 15.
I am so excited to announce the publication of my new book, Valued by God: Elevating the Value of Women's Voices in the Church! This book is the product of at least three years of work, as it is an adaptation of my doctoral thesis at the Webber Institute of Worship Studies. My assignment was to look at my current ministry context and determine what theological issue needs to be addressed through biblical, historical, and theological study in order to promote a needed change.
Lately, I've been asked if I've lost weight. While I have, this post is about what I've learned on this journey, not a magic formula.
Has a friend or family member ever asked to do something, and you offered every excuse in the book as to why you couldn’t or shouldn’t do it? We can be very creative with our excuses! Maybe you really had a legitimate excuse. You had to work that day or were out of town or sick. Maybe you offered a self-denigrating excuse like “I’m not creative enough or smart enough to do that.”
Has God called you to do something, but you offered God excuses as to why you couldn’t do it? Maybe you told God, “I can’t do that because I’m unqualified; I’m unworthy; I’m not smart enough; I’m not gifted enough.” If you have tried this, you are not alone.
An elementary school art teacher provided her students with a large sheet of art paper and several brand-new boxes of sharp, unpeeled crayons in a multitude of colors. She instructed the students to share the crayons and to work together to create a colorful mural to hang in the hallway outside the classroom. She thought other students might be inspired to take art if they saw demonstrations of her class’s work.