Consumed by the Acceptance of this World

Have you ever been REALLY lost... so lost that you were kinda scared you would never find your way out? I get that feeling pretty much every time I venture into the ghettos of Bryan during the evening hours. As I weeve through the poorly lit and poorly paved streets to drop off a friend, I try to remember every landmark, every turn, and every stop sign but when I leave her house, wave goodbye, and pull out of the driveway my mind is a blank. I don't even know which way to turn on the first street. I choose one way (which is almost always the wrong one) and drive a ways before backtracking and trying the other direction. Sometimes I will see a street sign that looks familiar, but only because I have been lost on that street before. Eventually I find myself on Texas or 2818, whichever one I inadvertantly find first. The moment I pull onto one of those streets, my heart stops racing, things look familiar again, and I think "how could I have been lost for so long?... the way was obvious."

In the same way, sometimes I get lost and caught up in the things of this world. I get consumed by meeting the world's standards of beauty, intellect, athletic ability, etc. I CRAVE PERFECTION in the eyes of the world. Instead of living my life to please the Lord, I live to please man. I try every "avenue" to find favor in the eyes of my parents, my friends, my classmates, my profs... I try to be perfect and try to hide my imperfections. By doing this, I will never be satisfied because I will never be perfect. The more I try to cover up Imperfect Me, the more I lose myself.

God wants us just as we are... dirty ragamuffins! Yes, He wants us to love Him so much that we live our lives to bring Him pleasure, but He forgives us when we mess up (and we will and we do). If we recognize our sin and repent, it can be used to minister to others. People who see Christians that put on a "Perfect Show" don't understand why we need Jesus. They misunderstand the Gospel because all they see are the works and the sin goes unspoken about. If we open up to them instead and say "Look, I'm not perfect. I have messed up and THAT is why I need Jesus!" we make a way bigger impact on their lives. We need to... I need to put away my pride and embrace the meekness that frees me from the pressures of this world to be perfect. I need to admit I am lost and ask God for directions.