Midweek Moment: October 7, 2020
I remember this moment a number of years ago when I was speaking at a conference and my session had gone pretty well. Afterward, a younger pastor came up to me who had also been listening to a podcast I had been producing at the time. He was complimentary about my work and at one point said to me, “I think you’re going to be the next…”, and then he named a very prominent speaker and author.
I was flattered at the comparison, as the named person was someone who I had admired and looked up to throughout my ministry. I felt proud for a minute, however, I was quickly surprised at the emotional reaction I had next: disappointment.
There was this deeper part of me that didn’t want to be compared to this other person or have the pressure of having to measure up to them. And I wanted who I was and my work to stand on its own. I didn’t want to be the next [enter accomplished person’s name here]. I wanted to be Jake Kircher and pursue the identity that God had given to me.
When Paul writes about being the body of Christ (see Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12) he makes it clear that we all share the same Spirit – the breath and image of God that was given to each of us at creation – and yet all have unique gifts and functions in the body. The warning he gives is different parts of the body trying to act like something they are not, which is ultimately what creates dysfunction and hurt, not only to the individual part but to the body as a whole.
God doesn’t want you to be the next [enter accomplished person’s name here]. God wants you to be [enter YOUR name here]. God wants you to see yourself the way that was intended from the very beginning of creation. And the best way to do that is by allowing the Holy Spirit to mold and shape you more and more into the unique masterpiece that God has created you to be.
What would it look like to spend time asking God today to speak to you about who you were made by God to be?
Grace & Peace
Jake