I am currently trudging through a devotional book right now. I refuse to tell you the title of the book because it is a dumb title despite the fact that there is great content within. I say that I am trudging through it because it is quite difficult for me to wake up and do devotions. I rather enjoy them--it is the extra sleep that perhaps causes confusion. I have sadly tricked myself into thinking that that time is my time. Pffft... That time is not mine nor is this very moment. They are all His and I really should just give them to him.
However, I digress.
In my book this morning it talked about things that we are really great at and/or are passionate about. There are a few things, I suppose, with which I have been blessed to be talented. But really, the question is do I use these things to glorify God? This also goes back to the sermon I heard at church on Sunday. Instead of funneling everything back to ME ME ME!!! do I point it all back to HIM?
Do I glorify God on the dance floor? Does my writing praise Him? What about my photography? My super-nanny skills which I use to tame ferocious babies/toddlers/pre-schoolers?
The only reason I can do anything well is because He has given me that skill. Take for example, dancing. (Betcha didn't see that one coming!) God has given me a passion for dancing. I so love to dance. I am prone however, to get quite prideful when I dance. Sometimes, at a swing dance, friends who are new to dancing throw compliments my way left and right. Have I ever once pointed those praises Heavenward?
Tomorrow is the first COI powwow of the year. While there may be another fancy shawler this year, I am generally the only one in our little ring. I am instantly recognized (it is, after all, a dance easily distinguished from the rest). In past summers, I have gotten much applause upon introduction.
How should I be reacting to that praise? There was once a time in my life that I cast any and nearly every compliment aside. That is probably not the proper thing to do when someone appreciates you. I should, rather, bring up my Father who has blessed me with so many things. One of those things is a love and a talent for dancing.
Even as I write this, it seems a little silly. After all, some reading this maybe will think: it is just dancing. We should all have passions in our life and I (as you probably know) am passionate about dancing. Think about whatever you are passionate about even if that is your education or your stamp collection. So, then, now you know what I mean and it seems a little less silly.
To live in such a way that I am constantly glorifying God should be something I do not even have to think about, not something I have to write about to understand. (This [blogging] is how I work through things in case you were unaware.) While I pray that it does indeed become second nature to me, something tells me that this is one of those things that I will always be working on. (And maybe even blogging about, depending on how these writing skills of mine keep up...)
Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise...
However, I digress.
In my book this morning it talked about things that we are really great at and/or are passionate about. There are a few things, I suppose, with which I have been blessed to be talented. But really, the question is do I use these things to glorify God? This also goes back to the sermon I heard at church on Sunday. Instead of funneling everything back to ME ME ME!!! do I point it all back to HIM?
Do I glorify God on the dance floor? Does my writing praise Him? What about my photography? My super-nanny skills which I use to tame ferocious babies/toddlers/pre-schoolers?
The only reason I can do anything well is because He has given me that skill. Take for example, dancing. (Betcha didn't see that one coming!) God has given me a passion for dancing. I so love to dance. I am prone however, to get quite prideful when I dance. Sometimes, at a swing dance, friends who are new to dancing throw compliments my way left and right. Have I ever once pointed those praises Heavenward?
Tomorrow is the first COI powwow of the year. While there may be another fancy shawler this year, I am generally the only one in our little ring. I am instantly recognized (it is, after all, a dance easily distinguished from the rest). In past summers, I have gotten much applause upon introduction.
How should I be reacting to that praise? There was once a time in my life that I cast any and nearly every compliment aside. That is probably not the proper thing to do when someone appreciates you. I should, rather, bring up my Father who has blessed me with so many things. One of those things is a love and a talent for dancing.
Even as I write this, it seems a little silly. After all, some reading this maybe will think: it is just dancing. We should all have passions in our life and I (as you probably know) am passionate about dancing. Think about whatever you are passionate about even if that is your education or your stamp collection. So, then, now you know what I mean and it seems a little less silly.
To live in such a way that I am constantly glorifying God should be something I do not even have to think about, not something I have to write about to understand. (This [blogging] is how I work through things in case you were unaware.) While I pray that it does indeed become second nature to me, something tells me that this is one of those things that I will always be working on. (And maybe even blogging about, depending on how these writing skills of mine keep up...)
Every blessing you pour out I'll turn back to praise...
Hey now, don't knock my stamp collection! Just kidding.
ReplyDeleteVery thought-provoking post. Hard to accomplish the glorifying at times without sounding really stupid to the person who complimented. I've struggled with this too.