July 05, 2006

“Not God”

What would it take for you to fire yourself from being god? Now don’t be offended at my question. We all have tried our hand at being god of our lives. Some are quicker learners than others. So again I ask you, are you are willing to be relieved of our Messiah Complex?

I confess and affirm that “I AM NOT GOD!” I rip the large yellow “S” off my chest and lay it at Jesus’ feet. I give up all hope of ever being god. I am omni (omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent) deficient.

The demands of life far exceed my capabilities. I feel that I am a golf cart trying to pull an eighteen-wheeler Mack truck load. In the end I destroy my golf cart and am unable to budge the eighteen-wheeler load one millimeter. So I turn my back on my god-yoke. I will not miss the stranglehold it had on my throat.

Allow me to help you de-god yourself. I offer you a short list of symptoms of the “wanna-be-god” person.

Your to-do list is never completed. As a recovering perfectionist (a “wanna-be-god” person) I exercised what godlikeness I had over my kingdom through my to-do list. Each night or morning I would list all the things that I needed to accomplish. I was thrilled as I wrote out each item. I envisioned being able to accomplish all of them. But real life broke through my psychosis and thwarted my plan to check off every item on my list. It was apparent I was incompetent to predict what each day would throw my way. NOT GOD!

You can’t please everyone. I can’t tell you the fatigue and exhaustion I caused myself from trying to make everyone happy. No matter what techniques I applied there was always one person around that was a little displeased with my attitude, performance, and/or person. I guess the craziest part of this one is that I thought I SHOULD be able to please everyone. This definitely qualifies me for the NOT GOD job!

Your plans are never comprehensive enough. Life is a lot like the weather . . . unpredictable even with the latest technology. I am transitioning to another career. So I do my best to create a fail-proof business plan. I review my plan. I have my friends review my plan and all looks like a go. That is until I implement my plan. Where do all the unseen problems come from that interrupt my “wanna- be-god” plans? Just one more reason I am NOT GOD!

You are never satisfied. I have tried bunches and bunches of ways to satisfy my heart. Here are a few things that are guaranteed to leave you discouraged and ungratified. More education will get you in debt. More social recognition will get you overloaded with responsibility. More friends will deprive you of solitude’s replenishing presence. More material possessions will take more and more of your time. More religious activity will parch your thirsty heart. NOT GOD!

Can you relate to any of these? I hope so.

Are you ready to give up your full-time job of being god? If so I offer you some practical exercises that will help free you from trying to be God.

Exercise
Begin each morning with this prayer.
Father, at the beginning of this day I turn to You. I admit that You alone are God. I gladly accept my role as your child and apprentice. Free me today from my plans . . . from imposing my will on this day. I release my grip on today. I look forward to the blessed surprises You will bring my way. I turn to You and Your kingdom for all I need today. AMEN


Ask God His Opinion.
Try to be mindful of the number of decisions you make daily without ever asking God His opinion. Ask Him to help you remember to turn to Him over and over again with each decision you make. Practice taking your questions to Him. Then allow time for Him to speak to you in your thoughts.

Review Your Day
Each night take a few minutes to review the day. How well did you do with letting God be God? Make a short list of when you acted like god and when you let God be God. Ask God to teach you to rely on Him more.

1 Comments:

At 10:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks bro.

It's always good to read what you know in your heart- it's like getting massive amount of hairs pulled on your back, one at a time; a joyous occasion.

Honestly, thanks for you honesty and your insights!

 

Post a Comment

<< Home