"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the
shadow of your wings" ~Psalm 17:8
"I praise you
because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know
that full well."
~Psalm 139-14
"Like a shepherd
He will tend His flock, In His arm He will gather the lambs And carry them in
His bosom..." ~Isaiah 40:11
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him
who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are
the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received
mercy."
~1 Peter 2:9-10
Those passages really
come in handy when and if, for whatever reason, you're not exactly feeling good
about yourself or doubting yourself. Maybe you're questioning your
effectiveness, value, accomplishments, or abilities because of what someone
else said or did.
Maybe you're feeling like you've been abandoned, rejected or
dropped.
"Dropped".
It's so harsh, abrupt and sometimes, negative and insensitive.
"Drop". It's so
deliberate.
Drop the ball.
Drop out of school.
Drop kick.
Drop a dime.
Drop a
bomb.
Tear drop.
Either way something
fell, failed, or was released from its place; it hit bottom, or was discarded.
It
went from height to depth.
Something was handled carelessly, and perhaps
damaged in a way that it couldn't be repaired.
Something or someone was let go.
Something was considered no longer
useful or appealing; no longer able to stay or be sustained or supported where
it was.
Once something is dropped, it experiences potentially drastic change--
unless it is flexible, invincible, resourceful, unbreakable.
"You've been
dropped". Ouch. "I'm dropping you". Double ouch. They're not
nice phrases to hear, but hearing them doesn't jump start Armageddon either.
It's not the end of civilization.
What you ought not, should not, will not do,
is stop. Don't drop yourself.
(You do know it's not always your own stuff that can
negatively impact you and cause you to be detached from vital connections.
Sometimes we absorb stuff. We go around picking up crosses that aren't ours to
carry.)
I've been dropped before in more ways than one. But I'm
still here to either tell about it if I want, or testify just by my existence
that I survived--and that I don't look like what I've experienced.
I was chatting a while back with a music industry friend who
shared that a number of recording artists had been "dropped" from
their record labels. The reason given was the rather disappointing sales of their projects.
"The project was great", he said of one artist," but they only
sold 5,000 units!" (He said it with such disdain, it only multiplied the
notion that everything good is not necessarily financially profitable.)
It is
puzzling that even though 5,000 people willingly spent money to acquire music
and actually liked it, that meant nothing to a certain segment of the
population that values revenue more than people. Somewhere 5,000 consumers were
perhaps, being encouraged, blessed, edified, even entertained.
In the music
industry, 5000 may as well have been 2.
His words made me consider that we have to learn to
disconnect our self-worth from certain things, so that when the thing ends or
is discarded, we don't see ourselves as useless, worthless, or ineffective--so
much so, that we stop trying. So many have paralyzed themselves, quit, and
given up when there's so much more in them to share.
It's funny how numbers can be great or small depending on
the situation:
Five thousand dollars. I could use that right now, and it
would handle a multitude of things!
Five thousand free minutes was a big deal before the advent
of unlimited data.
Five thousand shares of stock. Who wouldn't want that if the
company was profitable?
Five thousand square feet. I read somewhere that a couple
turned a 5000 sq. ft. barn into a dream home! That's a lot of space!
Five thousand miles. That's a long way that makes you thank
God for commercial aviation!
Five thousand years. That's a long, long time!
Five thousand seats. That's a very nice audience!
Five thousand troops. That should put a little fear into an
enemy.
Five thousand screaming fans. That would make a celebrity
happy!
Five thousand casualties. The thought of that sends everyone
into mourning-- even if they didn't personally lose anyone.
Five thousand units of blood. The Red Cross would be so
grateful!
Five thousand units of affordable housing. Think of the
difference that would make in the fight against homelessness!
Five thousand fabulous pairs of shoes. Okay, can we just get
a "Woo hoo!" for the thought of that?
But In the music industry, however, the number 5,000 of
anything shipped and or sold has no shock value. It's kind of embarrassing,
actually. It's nothing to applaud.
Five thousand, contrary to what every 5 year
old thinks, is suddenly not a large number. Five thousand has no significance.
Five thousand, spells failure and a poor investment. It's just not good enough
and can get a performer--even a good one-- dropped like a hot potato.
There is one other place, however, where 5,000 is a big
deal. Five thousand is forever etched in our minds as the number of hungry men,
who sufficiently dined in a desert, after Jesus said grace.
Read the 6th chapter of Mark.
The
number of people was great, but it's what Jesus had to work with that makes for
such an amazing story.
What one child had to offer, placed in the right,
capable, caring, competent hands, satisfied a multitude.
Since the apostles got
the ingredients for the feast from a kid, we have to assume there were women
and children who weren't counted.
Even after the meal was served there were 12
baskets of leftovers- maybe the precursor of the Happy Meal-- for the apostles
who never would have witnessed the miracle had they gotten their way.
They had
been working and maybe they were hot, tired, and hungry. They wanted Jesus to
get rid of the crowd that was following him.
Maybe they thought they'd already
done too much work. Maybe they felt that too little attention was being paid to
their needs. Well-intentioned or not, they had their share of out-of-order
moments, especially when they were trying to get Jesus--the biggest people
person of all time--to get rid of people. (I guess if you're hanging out with
Jesus you might be a little selfish and over-protective and want to keep all that
anointing to yourself- but that would be YOUR plan- not his.
Removing his plan
from any equation is a sure sign of impending failure. It's vitally important
to operate according to his principles, stick to the vision He gives, and not
get confused and attempt to assimilate our agendas into His.)
Knowing, acknowledging, and recognizing who Jesus was, and
who sent Him was the difference between life and death, healing and sickness,
freedom and bondage, forgiveness and condemnation for so many people. Imagine
the weight of remorse of those near the cross when it finally occurred to them
who they'd just murdered.
"This man really was the Son of God. Look how we
treated him". Some folk really didn't comprehend who He was quickly
enough. They were too busy with their own plans to know who they had in their
presence. Some were too wrapped up in their own importance. Others were too
fixed on how they could profit. Yet others were bent on manipulating him.
He was despised for no good reason.
WHY can't we see that we have an advocate who genuinely
understands what we deal with?
When Jesus didn't conform, and meant to be about the task
God assigned him, people turned on him--- including those closest to him. Had
they really known who he was, they wouldn't have tried to trip him up with
religious nonsense. They wouldn't have insulted his intelligence and
omniscience. They wouldn't have tried to turn him into someone he wasn't, paint
him in an unfavorable light, or diminish his power. They wouldn't have hoped he'd be pompous and arrogant like an
earthly king so they could have an excuse to be pompous, too. They wouldn't
have tried to misuse his gifts for material gain, or turn his ministry into a
circus.
The enemy wanted Jesus to perform tricks.
The thief on the cross
wanted him to put on a show.
The rich young ruler thought Jesus would be
impressed with his considerable wealth.
Had they really known who he was, and
what he was about, they wouldn't have tried to hurt him, get rid of him,
discredit him, or slander him. Had they known, they wouldn't have killed him.
Therein lies the irony of the Gospel. Somebody had to die so everybody else
could live. Somebody had to be dropped. Somebody had to be rejected so
everybody else could be accepted. Somebody had to be let go so others could be
elevated. Somebody had to be made an example.
Jesus asked God to forgive the
very people who used, abused, and despised him. The very people who praised Him
in an impromptu parade one week, and cheered him like he was a rock star? Those
same people insisted on his death the very next week.
Wow.
If you've been rejected, dumped, dropped, kicked to the
curb or any of the other euphemisms associated with the end of relationships,
be encouraged. IT DOES NOT DIMINISH WHO YOU ARE! It doesn't abort your purpose!
KEEP GOING!!!! Forget the naysayers! Forget the numbers! Remember what God says
about you!
Understanding your place in Christ is vital. In the 2nd
chapter of his first letter, Peter was trying hard to encourage some folk who
were really down in the dumps. He wasn't blowing smoke. He really wanted them
to know who they were.
Self-worth and personal identity can be boosted by the
opinions and attitudes of others, but they cannot be established and maintained
by others. Inadequacy, doubt, and a host of other destructive attitudes are
right around the corner if one's sense of self and purpose is entangled in the
thoughts and impressions, acceptance or rejection of other people.
Christ was never
confused about who he was, or what his purpose was. Your circumstance is
undoubtedly a far cry from being falsely accused, blindfolded, spat upon,
whipped all night long, emaciated, or nailed to a cross. Depending on the
situation, it may feel like the same thing for a while, but keep looking up. God
won't let you fall. He's got you. He is still very much alive, awake, well, in
control, and still opening doors.
Keep going...: )
"He protects His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the
lambs in His arms and carries them in the fold of His garment." ~Isaiah
40:11
"For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a
mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he
will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."
~Zephaniah 3:17
(The Lord sings!!!!!! How cool is that? )
#JustKeepGoing
#DEW4U
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