As I have finally completed reading "Cure for a common life" by Max Lucado, I feel very much impressed upon what he has written.
In 1 Peter 4:10-11, it says
"10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. 11 If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. "
And so it says. Max sums up the book in one simple phrase:
"Use your uniqueness (what you do) to make a big deal out of God (why you do it) every day of your life (where you do it)."
- Lucado, Max (2005:7)
- Lucado, Max (2005:7)
And this really encouraged me. To know that the Lord made each of us uniquely, to fulfill a purpose unique to us, and to make a difference. I am who I am, because the Lord made me so, and so, to use my gifts which He gave me to make a big deal out of Him daily, seems a trifle compared to what He did when He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us.
So, I took almost 3 months to finish the book. I let time catch up with me, my work catch up with me, so when I came across the chapters that told me that "God is with me", that our lives should be a "form of worship unto Him", to love our jobs and see it as a place where we can bring God into it, to take time purposefully to pause, and finally, to never be too big to do the small things, I found myself with a renewed perspective towards the things I do.
Of course, it is never easy. Max Lucado speaks of finding out what your S.T.O.R.Y. is... it's an acronym, that stands for your Strength, your Topic, your Optimal Conditions, your Relationships and lastly, to say "YES!". It basically means that when you find an area where your strength, topic, relationships and optimal conditions flow seamlessly, it is an area where you will say "yes!", because you're in a place where you can be used by God, and where you find God has called you to.
The question is... how many of us even bother finding that "yes" spot, or, as Max Lucado calls it, our sweet spot. How many of us trust God with patience and faith that He has given us gifts to excel in a given field, and how many of us just get caught up in the rat race of how prestige, status and money are the most important factors in this lifetime? Those of us who do, more often than not either find ourselves getting by day by day, or we struggle to smile. And this negativity soon becomes part of us, and we find it harder to be happy, because we've succumbed to the whirlwind of activity that seems to be deemed by society to be a defining factor of success.
It's kinda sad, I think... but I like what Max said... that we should always take a step out, take a break from the hassle and hectic nature of life, and just realign ourselves. It has to be purposeful.. after all, Max justified, Jesus did the same thing to. He would withdraw from the crowd to pray, to be alone.. that's why He ended up having to walk on water to the boat..
So I resolve... to read more and spend more time with God. It might mean compromising on other things, but I think I need to, and I want to. Because as things get tighter, so too, should we watch our time with God. It is always going to be a struggle, and the mind tends to think otherwise (typical Singaporean mentality), but that's why it's a journey of faith, and a journey of choice. And I firmly believe, that if we choose to honour God, then it's never going to be a bad decision. It might be a challenging one, we might be broken, but if our God is for us, then who can stand against us? =)
And Max ends off with two examples of people who lived using their uniqueness to glorify God? And he not only rounds off with a repeat of the phrase? But he also uses Lori Neal, as an example to show that when you find your area, your niche, and you give it your all, and make a big deal out of God? People don't just see you. They see God. =)
Amazing, the way our Lord works. =)
So, I took almost 3 months to finish the book. I let time catch up with me, my work catch up with me, so when I came across the chapters that told me that "God is with me", that our lives should be a "form of worship unto Him", to love our jobs and see it as a place where we can bring God into it, to take time purposefully to pause, and finally, to never be too big to do the small things, I found myself with a renewed perspective towards the things I do.
Of course, it is never easy. Max Lucado speaks of finding out what your S.T.O.R.Y. is... it's an acronym, that stands for your Strength, your Topic, your Optimal Conditions, your Relationships and lastly, to say "YES!". It basically means that when you find an area where your strength, topic, relationships and optimal conditions flow seamlessly, it is an area where you will say "yes!", because you're in a place where you can be used by God, and where you find God has called you to.
The question is... how many of us even bother finding that "yes" spot, or, as Max Lucado calls it, our sweet spot. How many of us trust God with patience and faith that He has given us gifts to excel in a given field, and how many of us just get caught up in the rat race of how prestige, status and money are the most important factors in this lifetime? Those of us who do, more often than not either find ourselves getting by day by day, or we struggle to smile. And this negativity soon becomes part of us, and we find it harder to be happy, because we've succumbed to the whirlwind of activity that seems to be deemed by society to be a defining factor of success.
It's kinda sad, I think... but I like what Max said... that we should always take a step out, take a break from the hassle and hectic nature of life, and just realign ourselves. It has to be purposeful.. after all, Max justified, Jesus did the same thing to. He would withdraw from the crowd to pray, to be alone.. that's why He ended up having to walk on water to the boat..
So I resolve... to read more and spend more time with God. It might mean compromising on other things, but I think I need to, and I want to. Because as things get tighter, so too, should we watch our time with God. It is always going to be a struggle, and the mind tends to think otherwise (typical Singaporean mentality), but that's why it's a journey of faith, and a journey of choice. And I firmly believe, that if we choose to honour God, then it's never going to be a bad decision. It might be a challenging one, we might be broken, but if our God is for us, then who can stand against us? =)
And Max ends off with two examples of people who lived using their uniqueness to glorify God? And he not only rounds off with a repeat of the phrase? But he also uses Lori Neal, as an example to show that when you find your area, your niche, and you give it your all, and make a big deal out of God? People don't just see you. They see God. =)
Amazing, the way our Lord works. =)