The Best in Me

Brothers and Sisters who are loved by God,

God has me laboring.  I am becoming something new but the process HURTS.  Many of you know exactly what this pain feels like, maybe even now. Free will allows us to deny this process but as anyone laboring realizes, we CHOOSE it because we don't want to miss the blessing on the other side. Whatever THAT is, it's worth the pain. It can make that pain feel very small indeed...or at least, more manageable.

In my devotions yesterday, I was challenged with this question: "Is what you're doing depleting you or is it bringing out the best in you?"  That is a question that prompts ACTION.  This question should be set up against each decision we make. For today's illustration, however, I'll use work. How do you answer when you figure out, "What I'm doing is NOT bringing out the best in me?" For me, these were the options:
-Stop what I'm doing.
-Keep doing the same thing.
-Give in to what is RIGHT.

Stopping my work is not the answer. I LOVE what I do. If that's true,  how was it not bring out the best in me? Because "control" was rearing its ugly head.  People who aren't on my team are seeking my help and I have been resistant. I justified my hesitancy by not wanting to help our competition and not wanting to give away resources that would serve MY team. I was resentful about another team leader's laziness and for awhile now, I've been putting off their people. In our world, all of these points are VALID and many would consider it wise not to help competitors.  The problem with this way of thinking, however, is the world is not my role model. Jesus is.  He includes everyone...and I wasn't.

Continuing to exclude is also not an option. I have come to know that twist in my gut is God trying to point me in another direction but for awhile there, I was learning to live with it. In God's infinite mercy and grace, however, He's PERSISTENT about wanting to keep us from danger and destruction. That twisting became painful enough so that I could no longer ignore it. Change had to take place for the relief to begin and for my best to start showing again.

Helping people I PERCEIVE as competition is how I show that I belong to God and not the world. (Mathew 5:46-47) It's a lack of trust in how BIG and CAPABLE God is when I set aside His desires and pursue my own. He has challenged me by pressing this into my heart:  "If you truly believe this is MY business and I was the one who gave it to you, why do you resist the people I put in front of you to do it? They may not be under your leadership but you are under mine. Act accordingly."   Admittedly, there are still some opportunities that I offer my team exclusively.  I SHOULD still be a leader first to those who followed me in. However, with God's prompting, I made some contacts and started opening doors again. I tell you, it was such a RELIEF and JOY.  I didn't realize it was so exhausting to pursue my own interests until I felt the LIGHTNESS of pursuing God's. (Matthew 11:28-30) I was  finding the best of me and it's Jesus.