.jpg)
I woke up uneasy this morning, thinking about the number of Christian authors and speakers and seminary grads and publishers and leaders and up-and-coming "somebody's" all gathered in one place for one weekend. There's no getting around it--I can get caught up in the "Who's Who in Christianity Reunion" when there are that many "somebody's" in one room. And I feel it . . .
That tug to do something great. To be someone great. Or at least to rub shoulders with someone great. And I quake inside when I think about how I might be becoming a “somebody.” How I’ll be taking a trip with Nancy Leigh DeMoss to Focus on the Family next month. And how I spoke twice this past week to a large group of teens. And about all the connections I’ve made through working at Revive Our Hearts. And about how I might lose my anonymity if and when my book is published.
And the thing I fear most is becoming a “somebody,” at least in my own mind. A “professional Christian.” How does one resist the “Hollywood Christianity pull” as they accept more responsibility and gain more visibility?
This was our topic of conversation as my roommate and I applied our makeup this morning. And then, over a breakfast of oatmeal and fresh fruit, she told me, “Paula, just spend lots of time with ‘ordinary people’ and don’t forget that you’re an ‘ordinary person,’ too.” So on the way to Pastor John Piper’s morning session, I sought out other “ordinary people.” I greeted the woman in the elevator, and thanked the maid cleaning the bathroom, and later held the baby lying near me.
And then, in the middle of Pastor John Piper’s message from Isaiah 6, I saw it. The answer. The antidote. I’d like to share it with you, straight from my notes . . .
The Holiness of God
God’s holiness is His unique, in-a-class-of-its-own, pure essence, which therefore has infinite value. After all, the more rare a diamond is, the more valuable it is. If there’s only one of its kind, well, it is immensely valuable.
The most important value in the universe is not me or my family or the 7 billion people in this world or the galaxies. We are nothing compared to the value of God. God is infinitely valuable. The main problem in the world is the failure to feel that.
The Glory of God
Pastor Piper then explained that the glory of God is the manifestation of the holiness of God (Isa. 6:3, Lev. 10:3). When God’s holiness is displayed—His incomparable perfection; His intrinsic, infinite worth—that’s the glory of God. God is glorious when His holiness has gone public.
What’s That Have to Do With Being a “Somebody”?
Pastor Piper closed by looking at John 12, where John quotes from Isaiah 6 and Isaiah 53 and explains why the Jews would not believe in Jesus, even after all the miraculous signs He performed in front of their eyes. Why?
“. . . for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God” (John 12:43)
Faith in this Jesus, Pastor Piper said, is impossible for those who crave the approval of other people more than they crave seeing and enjoying the glory of God. If you crave the glory of men and women, this vision of God’s glory will repulse you because it interferes with your glory. Most people don’t want an authoritative God over them (Isa. 6) and they don’t want a suffering Savior (Isa. 53)—that would imply that they might have to take up their cross and wash others’ feet. And Jesus was both majestic God and miserable, suffering Savior.
And so I find myself praying Pastor John Piper’s closing prayer along with him with all my heart: God, give me an Isaiah 6 moment so that Your holiness would be my treasure. That this sweet juxtaposition of majesty and mercy would become my refuge.
Because I know that if I feel God’s value, I won’t give a rip whether I’m a “somebody” or not.
How about you? Do you ever struggle with being a “somebody”? What can you do about it?
Leave a Comment:
We love hearing from you, and will post your comment as long as it is appropriate, and is written in a tone that is encouraging, edifying, and loving to others. Even then, know that the following comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Revive Our Hearts.
Comments
Just finished listening to Nancy's message via LIVE stream. She was such a blessing, as always. I just loved what she said in the very beginning before her message about all the wonderful teaching that is going on this weekend, that "sound theology should always lead us to doxology and transformation." Amen! Praise and change!! It's not about stuffing our heads with knowledge, but getting that knowledge and letting it change us from the inside out.
Now, to answer your question! Yes, I most definitely struggle with being a "somebody," or, more accurately, feeling like a "nobody" many times. But that's o.k. because the reality is that apart from Jesus I can do nothing and I am nothing, but IN HIM I have everthing! (Eph. 1) I also find that when I am with a group of people, the old comparison game begins. I was able to listen to most of Elyse Fitzpatrick's message today as well, and she had said that comparing leads to either pride or despair. So true. When I start feeling small and insignificant, and not very important, I try to remember to not define myself by what I do (and not let the culture define me, either) but rather whose I am, and I belong to God, and He has set His love on me, as unworthy as I am. Yes, I am valued by Him, not because I am great, but because He is so great in love and mercy!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend! So glad you were obedient to your boss and hopped on the plane, because otherwise I wouldn't have even know this conference was going on and I would have missed out on the blessings, so thank you, Paula!
In Him,
Arlene
on Saturday, June 23, 2012 at 9:35 pm
on Sunday, June 24, 2012 at 5:13 pm
Miss you!
on Sunday, June 24, 2012 at 10:45 pm
Thank you so much for letting us know and giving us a glimpse into the conference. Thank you for the snippets. It ministered to my heart heavily. I wrote down a few points on what you shared in my bible. This feeling of "nobody" is my companion when I am in the midst of "somebody's" I am trying to fight this and get my hands on as much truth as possible. Yes, I need an Isiah 6 moment everyday in my life.
Going over to hear Pastor Pipers message. Pray for me, would you, that I would become a confident woman of God with God esteem, and the one who do not crave approval of man.
on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 1:43 am
on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Delighted to pray that for you! Also, I'm going to write another post from the conference soon that helped me so much with comparing myself with others. Trusting it will be helpful to you, too.
Thanks for reading/posting on TrueWoman!
paula
on Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Thank you for this! I saw you this weekend at the conference and wanted to talk with you and thank you for your blogs. I am always blessed by them.
My daughters and I talked extensively about idolizing those "Professional Christians" and our tendency to make them more important than God in our eyes and, contributing to the temptation of them being important in their own eyes. It was an eye-opening experience (no pun intended).
First of all, I am thankful that you were so honest about your struggle. I am constantly fighting the want to be somebody... this manifests in my role as wife, mother and grandmother. God revealed to me how much I strive to be a idol in the lives of those I most closely love. This was very humbling, especially after this weekend.
Second, I realized that as much as I admire you, Nancy, John Piper and all the others, we are all equally valuable to the work of the King, for the King, through the King and by the King and we need only be obedient to Him!! I am looking with great joy and anticipation to the day when I stand before Him and hear Him say "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Thank you for your faithfulness!
on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 at 5:01 pm
on Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 3:26 pm