Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life (1 Thessalonians 4:11)
Social media overwhelms me. It’s a loud, loud place. And unless you have good boundaries, one minute of scrolling can somehow turn into an hour.
It seems like everyone has something to say.
Everyone wants to be noticed and heard. They want to know their voices matter.
I love chapter 3 of You’re Made for a God-sized Dream because it reminds me I don’t have to shout, wave about, and do cartwheels to be known. I am.
The One who stops me from striving, who gives me permission to slow down, who tells me my worth is already won forever. Yes, this is the ambition I want to live with, to live for. A quiet life…especially on the inside. (pg. 61)
I’m known for taking short fasts from social media when I feel like the voice of the world is louder than God’s.
I also do it to bring some peace into my life and refocus on exactly what God has called me to. I can get caught in the comparison game fairly quickly. When I feel the murkiness of discontent rising, I know it’s time to put social media in a timeout. By the time I realize the need for a fast I’m usually soul-tired, weary, and ready to quit…because most days I don’t have the time or energy to figure out what I’m having for breakfast much less how I’m going to achieve my dream.
Once Instagram and Facebook are in their corners, my world gets small, my quiet time has more meaning, and my focus and excitement returns. It’s a truly amazing thing!
And then I remember why God doesn’t require us to strive. Let’s just say if striving were an Olympic sport, I’d be a gold medalist. Seriously? Like it’s up to me to get it all done and accomplish it all in my strength. When’s the last time I parted a sea? Or rose someone from the dead?
God doesn’t need my help!
Could God really only require me to be faithful? That’s it? Seems too easy.
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It’s true.
Faithful, quiet, and small are not words the world we live in knows too well. But they are exactly why we can rest easy…and exactly what we can be when we know we are His. Our influence and reach may at times extend quite far. We may find ourselves with a microphone on a stage and that’s fine, but it’ll be God who puts us there.
I know it’s silly, but I find rest in not having to be the biggest and best. I find freedom in being able to just be me and know that it’s ok and good enough.
The quiet life is not the life the world values and appreciates, but it’s certainly a different kind of ambition…and one I live for.
The recurring crisis of the gifted leader will be whether or not he/she can resist the seduction of ambition. If we think we’ve conquered it, we’ve more likely renamed it goal setting. There’s still time to be a fool. Go deeper, not bigger. Only hardy roots can handle height. (Beth Moore)
I want to challenge you to go deeper, not bigger. What are some ways God may be asking you to trust Him with your ambitions?
Shared by: Alecia Simersky
Photo by Rodolfo Sanches Carvalho on Unsplash
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