Ashtray Ambitions
When I was in elementary school, our art class had a week where the focus was on ceramics. Many children molded their handful of clay into a pretty ashtray, no matter that neither of their parents smoked. I, personally, made a ceramic hamburger for daddy back in the day; but the more I get to know my Heavenly Father, I realize that: often times I get caught up in trying to create something specific with my life when, all along, God has a greater perspective and a more perfect plan.
"But now, O Lord, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are our potter;
we are all the work of your hand."
Isaiah 64:8
God told me to trust Him,
and He promised He doesn't want to make me an ashtray.
"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowlege of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light."(Colossians 1:9-12 ESV)
These are promises we can cling to: God's will for believers is to be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. The better we know the Lord, the stronger our relationship with Hims becomes and the more empowered we are to walk in a manner worthy of Him! This is a call over your life: Love God. Love your neighbor as yourself. Know God. Make Him known.
Christ has continually renewed my soul; considering the ways I toiled and strived to make something of myself. I sought freedom as a child and became a rebellious teen. I chased freedom down the path of reckless abandon and found myself an angry drug addict. I aimed to excel in the corporate world, living to be 'wined and dined' and finding self-worth in my outward appearance, assuming that success was freedom. I shattered the mirror of false identity and believed freedom was arranging a mosaic of my broken, jaded life. I traveled countries and states, a flower child toting a backpack and a peace pipe, and thought walking barefoot and smiling at strangers was freedom. Dancing from one mask to another, I had a surface faith. I had created my own idea of who I thought God was- but I had stopped seeking His own descriptions for Himself out of the Bible. As a counterfeit believer I was blind to the bondage and the slavery I was under. I was making my Father a figurative ashtray with my life!
What does it mean to be a disciple? The call of Christ is to long for God and the plan He has for your life, not just reading the Word, but living it out. Most people I've met while traveling have made mention of my backpacker's lifestyle and admired the freedom that comes with it. However, I would argue that until I made the decision to live for the cause of Christ, I was restricted. The truth is, there will always be limits to the liberties we gain independently. When we allow God to create in us a heart that is pure, He will break those secret shackles that hinder us; He will wash away shame and guilt. Ezekiel 36:26 reads, "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." Once you realize that we, as humans, were not made to be alone and embrace God's gift to have fellowship and relationship with our Heavenly Father, you are truly set free.
Wherever I go, I want Christ to be magnified. I want to grow every day and see Jesus Christ in a more profound way. I want people to look to my life and say, I see Jesus Christ. "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." Hebrews 11:6
As the Father's love for us surpasses our knowledge and understanding, so also do His desires surpass our wildest dreams. Will you allow the one who designed you to define you?
Or will you make your Father an ashtray?
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13
