Spending or Being Spent?

Sunday in church, I was reminded again of a phrase that I heard a long time ago in youth ministry. I remember challenging my students with the idea of "being spent" rather than "spending" so much. They would be looking at cars, movies, concerts, etc. trying to decide how the little bit of money they had could be "spent". It was an interesting time trying to retrain thinking that was solidly reinforced by television, radio and peers. Way back then, there wasn't instant messaging or even text messaging to consider either.

Pastor Dan reminded us again that our lives are not our own if we truly want to be a follower of Christ. We've been in a series entitled "Can We TALK?" A delimma happens in the heart of the believer in Christ. We want to become more holy - separated from sin in our world- yet we want to invite the world to join us in the journey with Christ. How do you do both?

Oh, I know there are lots of models out there for how it's being done. The God directed ones are very fruitful. I am reminded that "by their fruit you will know them". I have made all kinds of excuses in my past when there is no "fruit" in what I have been doing. When all the rhetoric is sliced away, it's still about the "fruit". I think that's why churches in general struggle with goals and accountability. God might honestly be directing, but to find the right model to implement that direction might take more than one shot. Somehow, it seems like admiting one model is not bearing fruit and considering another model to see if it might bear fruit is not "spiritual". Bleah! What is that all about?

Back to Sunday's sermon . . . Pastor Dan confessed that he is trying to find that place where the church is serious about being a "church to the unchurched" yet finds the clarity to disciple in deeper ways those that are following Christ. It's certainly not that we don't have a bunch of serving opportunites through the evangelism arm of the church. Recently our church helped do a Home Makeover for a gramma who was taking in grandkids whose parents were drug users. That was a huge task, but over 160 volunteers found themselves entrenched in something meaningful and rewarding. They were being spent. In addition to small groups galore, there are a variety of training classes on Wednesday nights. Seasonally, there are training classes for teachers, counselors, etc. It's not like the church is sitting around being eye candy for the community.

So? Why is this series impacting me so much? It's making me ask, "What can I do?" I know that would encourage my pastor. He reminded me of something I read awhile back. The idea was about not just living for success but living for significance. I am learning that in the hiearchy of needs there is this place of "self actualization". Self-actualization is the instinctual need of humans to make the most of their unique abilities and to strive to be the best they can be.
For a follower of Christ, this is about discovering and understanding how God has created you; your giftings and passions are able to be lived out with abandon.

I made a decision one year ago to make a huge shift in my life. I believe it was a God directed move. It has not been easy nor has it gone the way that I thought it might. That's ok. Learning to wait has not been a forte of mine over the years. It seems that this is my time to learn to wait. I believe that I am to keep my eyes and ears open to what the Spirit of the Lord is saying to me. It's not that I am not doing something while I wait; I'm going to college, working, dealing with cancer in the family and homeschooling. I just know though, that there is that place of being spent that I have not found yet. I still think it will become my work and my college training will mesh with it as well. It feels like I have so much to give and I want to be spent meaningfully. I guess I will see in the days ahead how this will find real life application.