St. John Studies

“What might we accomplish together that none of us could achieve if we all continued to revolve in our separate orbits.” [Hybels, 127].

That quote is from Bill Hybels and the context is that he is wondering what churches could accomplish if they just worked together.

That’s what I call a “big picture” point of view and while that view is worthwhile, let’s take his comments in Chapter 7 of Holy Discontent and apply them to a single church.

What could a church accomplish if church members united to accomplish the same results?

Hybels gives us some ideas about things that get in the way of great accomplishments.

First of all, it is essential to deal with the idea that church members tend to gravitate to the “status quo.” I have heard this so much over the years; the key phrase is “it has worked this way in the past so why change it?” The problem with this is that the church is in the middle of a world that is evolving. While I don’t advocate that churches make themselves over to fit contemporary fads, to ignore the need to adapt is a fatal mistake. Here is a simple example [although one that can be controversial]. More people are discovering that Christian artists have been creating some beautiful, inspiring praise and worship music. The “old favorite” hymns don’t need to be discarded but why not work contemporary music into the worship service once in a while?

Secondly is the idea of “turf protection.” People who are long-time volunteers grow to think that their service to the church is their “job.”  No one else can do it.   Problems occur when a new volunteer comes on the scene; instead of allowing their energy and enthusiasm to come to the activity, they may not be welcomed.   The long-time volunteer senses a loss of control and maybe a change of leadership and they resent it.   In their minds, it is better to discourage the new volunteer so they can hold on to their “job.”

An additional problem is simple lack of coordination. When you have a church with many people “doing their thing,” there is a problem when one group does not know what the other group is doing. This can lead to wasted effort due to duplication of work.   It can also lead to wasted resources since one group may be buying materials that could be used in the other group. This can also lead to unhealthy competition as one group tries to outdo the other, which can cause hard feelings.   All this is so unnecessary. What is needed is an attitude that we need to work together. An additional antidote for this problem is open communication about what is going on. Don’t ignore the need to talk directly to other church members. This cures many ills.

The last challenge for churches that don’t accomplish much is the “country club” mentality. For some Christians, it is “cool” to be seen as a member of a particular church. More than that, it is “way cool” to run around with the right cliques within the church. The problem is that “being seen” is about all that this Christian does.   They don’t want to volunteer at church.   There are so many opportunities, there are so many needs but they are quick to say this phrase that grates on the nerves of pastors: “let the staff do it; we pay them well and they have so much time. You know, pastors only work on Sunday.” The Christian who thinks like this is not in a church for what they can do for others; they are in the church looking for what the church can do for them. God is not the focus of their participation; they just want to be part of the “in-crowd.”

Needless to say the types of church members I have described have challenges that get in the way of their holy discontent. Again Hybels says “What might we accomplish together that none of us could achieve if we all continued to revolve in our separate orbits?”

“If pastors and leaders would let go of their pride, fear, the need to please and the need for control! . . .  What would happen if we took greater risks rather than staying married to the status quo? . . . [what if we asked] What results do we want to create rather than what do I want?” [Hybels, 129].

He answers his own question: “Boundaries get expanded. Leadership competencies get ennobled. Fear gets stamped out. Insecurities get upended. Passion pursuits get clarified and depression is asked to take the slow boat home.”

God has asked that we spread His Word to a broken world. It is a job; our most important job. As a church we need to figure out how to do this together.

Together we can accomplish great things.

Yes, we can even work together to scratch that itch, you know that problem that is so bad that you must do something about it…

You know what I am referring to. . . our holy discontent.

You have heard the following “recreational” expressions.

A bad day of golf is better than a good day at work or a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work.

These expressions are testaments to the value of these wonderful hobbies and the drudgery of work.

But let’s add an expression you may not have heard before.  A bad day lived from the energy of your holy discontent is far better than the best day lived anywhere else.

That sounds amazing doesn’t it?  But that is exactly the idea that Bill Hybels is pitching in Chapter 7 of his book Holy Discontent.

Let’s translate.

When you are on fire to correct a wrong or to fix something you think is abominable and you are making some progress, that is an honest highlight of your life.  Those are some of your best days on earth, especially if you know you are being led to produce fruit by God.

Nothing else matches up.

Too often Christians are happy with putting most of their efforts toward being content.  In Matthew, Jesus preaches about our need to be content with what we have and not chase after material things.  In Philippians, Paul writes about being content in a wide range of situations; he finds contentment whether well-fed or hungry.  Most of the Bible seems to preach that contentment comes from a true dedication to a life in Christ.

But that is not what Pastor Hybels is preaching.   He wants us to “get off our dime.”  He wants us to not accept the world as we see it.   He wants us to have a vision that sees something better and he wants us to act on it.  He wants us to not be content to accept things as they are.

Chapter 7 is about what he calls “a completely different state of mind.”   He uses a writer named Robert Quinn to make his point.  Quinn says the person who is content with the status quo is in what he calls a “normal state of mind.”  Normal state people are self-absorbed, they react to life rather than anticipating future needs.  Normal state people work hard at keeping things like they are, never adapting to change [even change called for from an expressed need].  They deny that there is something better.  They deny that they can become a better person.  Besides “normality”, they don’t think any other state of mind really exists.

I am not sure that this type of contentment would be pleasing to our Lord and Savior, especially when we encounter a wrong that needs to be addressed or a problem that needs to be fixed [aka your holy discontent].

Hybels refers to the opposite of normal state people, those Quinn refers to as “fundamental state” people.  These folks are not happy spinning their wheels, never impacting the world around them.  Fundamental state people care about getting results so “they begin to move and breathe in a totally different realm.”  They don’t just bounce around in life; they move with intentionality.  “They act with massive doses of enthusiasm and persistence.”  They are not prideful because they know that will get in the way of results.  They don’t care who gets credit.   They just want things to get better.  Hybels goes on to say “They take risks they wouldn’t normally take…because they have to—there’s too much at stake not to!  Their creativity kicks up a notch.  Their energy soars.  Their passion swells.”

Oh and one more thing.

They draw other people to their cause.

Hybels says that “when you step into the fundamental state, not only will you change ‘states,’ but you will draw others into that new state too.  Think about this for a moment: when you spend time in the fundamental state, you become an increasingly attractive person.  After all, who doesn’t want to hang out with someone who lives passionately, who loves fearlessly and who embraces risk-laden change.”

A bad day of golf is better than a good day at work; maybe we can say the same for fishing.

But what about the life that you are leading?  Are you content letting your “wheels spin”?  Are you so concerned with that status quo that you are ignoring a need that should be addressed?  The “normal state” is so comfortable but maybe it is not the best state for you and me.

“A bad day lived from the energy of your holy discontent is far better than the best day lived anywhere else.”

Could Hybels be right?

We all had dreams somewhere along the way…

Do you remember your dream of what you wanted to be when you were younger?

I remember mine.

Being a child of the sixties, I had a passion for music.  I played trumpet in the band, getting to first chair eventually in my high school trumpet section.  But that was not the dream.  The dream was having long hair, singing and playing the guitar on stage in front of thousands of adoring fans.   Of course, since I was an “all-American” boy, my dream audience was filled with a hefty majority of beautiful females.

That was it: I wanted to be a rock and roll star.

It did not go any further than that.  Beyond being adored, I had no plan.

And then I read about Bono [of U2 fame] in Chapter 6 of Holy Discontent and I realize what a person can do with their rock stardom.  Pastor Hybels is using Bono to try to illustrate what a person can do about their holy discontent.   He says we need to feed it, fight for it and follow it.

That is exactly what Bono did with his fight against African famine.

I have another blog I contribute to from time to time.  It is called shinelight.info.  I use it to reach out to victims of trauma [accident trauma, disease trauma, crime trauma or even PTSD].   My trauma was from an accident and as I walk the road to recovery, it is therapeutic for me to share my thoughts [good and bad] about how I feel. 

God tells us to shine our light.  Matthew 5:16 states “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”  I try to shine a light through my hard times so maybe I can help someone else.

I have not turned out to be a fantastic guitar player.   I own two guitars and they sit in an upstairs room, untouched for the most part.  I sing bass in my church choir and so far, I have not had too many accolades tossed my way about that.  Seems I may have truly missed my opportunity to be a rock star. 

What I have enjoyed is writing.

I love taking ideas about faith and trauma recovery and putting them out on the web for anyone to read.   I don’t care if I have five readers or five hundred.   The process is good for my mind, good for my heart and as a fellow Christian blogger told me recently, “God gave me the ability and I am doing my part; I am putting it out there.”

Feed your holy discontent and fight for your holy discontent.

When things get tough, it is important to not give up.  It is important to do your work and do it to the best of your ability.   Hybels says don’t just go through the motions.  He says it like this: don’t be a 25 watt bulb or a 75 watt bulb, be a 1,000 watt bulb!  “If you’re called at this stage of the game to be a leader, then be a thousand watt leader!  If you’re called to sing, then be a thousand watt singer!  Fill in the blank with whatever it may be for you—a pilot, an executive, a mom, a dad, a prayer warrior.  I dare you to approach your holy discontent with an upfront commitment of being a ‘thousand-watt’ at whatever you do.”

And lastly follow it.

Too often we get locked into life too quickly.  We get set in our ways.  We develop habits.  We have a vision and that is it; it never changes.   We can’t adapt our vision when circumstances change.

But in life, circumstances do change.

Humor me as I tell you when I feel the tug of the Holy Spirit the most.   It is not when I am working with people.   It is when I am working in my yard at home.  I know this is going to sound strange but I pray a lot when I do yard work.   First of all, I am thankful to be able to do it.   At times it overwhelms me [I ain’t no “spring chicken”] but all the time I ask Divine guidance as to what I need to be doing, how I need to be doing it and how I need to accomplish my tasks.  The fun part is that I believe God leads me to where I need to be, He helps me know what I need to do and He give me strength to accomplish my tasks.  My wife accuses me of having attention deficit disorder as I flit from one task to another but I am just morphing from one role to another as I feel a need becomes present.

With Holy Discontent, this is necessary because often in life, we don’t wind up doing what we think we will do once we start tackling a job.  But to have a maximum impact on our world we need to be able to adapt to the place where the greatest need exists.

This is God expanding us and stretching us.  “[He wants you to] participate in whatever ‘new thing’ He wants to do through you…follow your holy discontent wherever it takes you, whenever it takes you so that our world…can benefit from your wattage in this generation.”

Photo of Eleanor Josaitis below…

You might say I am a reader. Since 1998 when I finally recognized the true value of loving Jesus, I have read many books on Christianity.

Many of the authors use what I call personal testimonies to make their point.

Bill Hybels is no exception.

Chapter 5 in his book Holy Discontent is entitled “A worthy fight” but most of the chapter is about a woman who had a holy discontent that was a big risk and she went ahead with her plans despite the challenges.

Her name was Eleanor Josaitis and she is the founder of an inner-city organization in Detroit devoted to erasing racism, poverty, and injustice.  It is called Focus: HOPE.

Without rewriting Hybel’s whole chapter, I will recount the basic point of his chapter.  Eleanor was watching a documentary on the Nuremburg Trials after World War II.   As she learned more and more about what Hitler’s Nazi Germany did to so many human beings in concentration camps, she wondered what she would have done if she had lived in Germany during the 1940’s.  Then the documentary was interrupted by breaking news of a civil rights march in Birmingham Alabama that had turned into an all-out attack on the peaceful marchers.   If you are old enough, you remember the fire hoses, Billy clubs, and cattle prods. 

Sometimes a distant problem seems so far away that we just mentally file it away with a wince and say “that’s too bad.”

For Eleanor, Birmingham was much closer than Germany but it was still “down south.”

Then her own city was torn apart with riots. 

Instead of moving out of her suburban home to some other city, Eleanor and her husband packed up the family and moved right into the heart of Detroit; she moved toward the problem instead of away from it. 

This is the stuff of heroes.  When there is gunfire, marines run toward it.   When there is a fire, firemen run into the burning building.  When a crime is being committed, police intervene to restore law and order.

Eleanor and her family dug into downtown Detroit and were determined to bring hope to the poorest of the poor.  First of all, she found ways to provide food for the poor of inner city Detroit.   Then she decided that she had to give hope through training and education.  Some needed jobs and some needed to go to school.  At the writing of Holy Discontent, the Focus HOPE program had helped 8,000 people get jobs with starting salaries that are double the minimum wage.    Focus HOPE is not all about Eleanor.  It is about volunteers.  Ms. Josaitis is masterful at recruiting volunteers.   Focus Hope does have paid staff but it also enlists help from 50,000 volunteers.   People show up to help because they know there is a need.

Back to the main point.

What caused Ms. Josaitis to act?

She saw a need right in her community; a holy discontent welled up inside her to make a bad situation better.   She had one of those Popeye moments:  “I can’t stands no more!”

Most of us don’t have to look far to find a situation that needs attention.  Go to “volunteermatch.org” and see the places in the Hopkinsville area where you can plug in your talents.  Today there are a hundred locations where you can inquire.  Look around at what is going on at your church.  An active church is a hotbed of activity, where the church is reaching out to help the community in numerous ways.

You have all heard the old cliché about the three most important factors to consider in starting a business:  “location, location, location.”  Well proximate location is what drives most of us to act.  The problems halfway across the world just don’t move us.

It is the problem down the street that gets us motivated.

Whatever it takes, that’s ok.  The needs are real.  Let’s get to work!

I try to post my thoughts on a book every other day but on the day I was to post, I developed a fever and have been feeling poorly since.   Been to the doctor and am beginning a round of antibiotics.   I hope to be feeling better soon but it hasn’t happened yet.  Anyone who reads St. John Studies should get an explanation and here it is.  It was probably that little thing above: a tick.   My wife found him on me yesterday.

Be careful out there this summer.

Sorry for the interruption.   Hope to be back soon.

David Carter

Feeding the Frustration…

Wow, what a title for a chapter in a book about taking action to do God’s work…your “holy discontent.”

I don’t know about you but when I get the robo-call from the Alabama School for the Blind asking me to buy light bulbs, a visit from a young man trying to sell “miracle cleaner” or when I see the commercials about the poor starving kids in Ethiopia, I sometimes don’t want to participate. 

I guess it is natural; we turn away from what makes us uncomfortable.  Maybe the school needs the money, and the young man looked poor and probably needs funds to live and of course the kids appear very forlorn as they stare into the camera begging me for a check so they can have food.

But I get off the phone quickly, I may not even go to the front door and I switch channels to local news.

Bill Hybels says not to do that with your “holy discontent;” he says move toward it, get close to it, and expose yourself to the need that is bugging you.  If you are feeling discomfort, that’s ok.  That discomfort may just spur you on to action.

I am going to give you a personal example.  It is born from recent months, the months following an accident where I broke my pelvis.   I should not dwell on this period of my life because it was pretty difficult.   I hurt a lot.  I had limited mobility.  I had to sit most of the day for three months.  

Why do I return to it for my example?  This period in my life taught me a lot.   I don’t want to forget my lessons even though my wife thinks I dwell on this time too much.  She wants me to move on.

Following my accident, of course I could not drive.   The doctor would not allow it.  My wife was my chauffer. 

Many times she would drive me by the corner of Lover’s Lane and Lafayette Road.  I would turn my head to the corner and see a horrible collection of trash.  You know the usual stuff, paper, cups, beer and whisky bottles but even the road signage was bent downward, which added to the ugliness of the corner.   I don’t know who owns the property but it looked awful.   It was not my property to clean up but it bothered me.  For three months I drove by the corner and I could do nothing about it.  I could not even get out of my car except with the aid of a walker.

I knew I had to do something about this and I pledged I would after I recovered enough to be able to walk.  It was a simple example of my “holy discontent.” 

When I recovered and was cleared for driving, I drove past this trashy corner a lot.  It was on the way to town from my home.  I began slowing down and looking at the trash every time I went past that corner.  When was I going to clean it up?  

I could not get away from it.  It was there every day.  When I slowed down and really looked at this location, it disgusted me more than ever.

But why do it?   It was not my corner.  I am not sure people would approve of my efforts.

But I was pledged.  I was convicted. 

Finally, I took two large garbage cans to the location and started picking up the area.  The garbage was nasty and there was more in the grass than I could see from the road.  There was a ditch and it was full of pizza boxes, beer cans and bottles.  I was not sure I could do it due to my diminished strength but I took the road warning signs and pushed them straight up so they looked like they were supposed to look.

As I was working, several people drove by and looked at me or rather stared.  I did not worry about them.   I just concentrated on the task at hand.  I filled up the trash cans and headed for a public dumpster.   As I left the area, I looked back and saw that I had done some good.

Was this a significant “holy discontent?”

Not really.  It does not rank up there with devoting a year to being a missionary in Haiti or trying to save the orphan children of Nepal but it was a step forward for me.

I did not turn away from it.  I exposed myself to the need, I got close to the situation and I finally moved toward the area. 

That is what Pastor Hybels says we should do about our “holy discontent;” when we have a conviction to do something, don’t turn away.  Walk toward it.

I have other pledges I have made to myself and I look forward to fulfilling them. 

My wife is right.   I probably dwell on my recent infirmity too much.  

As Pastor Hybels recommends, maybe I need to expand my world and find other areas of “holy discontent?”  They are out there waiting for me to discover them.

I will but I will never forget my corner…a small spot on this earth where I did some good.

And satisfied my “holy discontent.”

I am just going to apologize in advance.  I am going to leave out many people in my list of examples.   There are too many for me to name them all. 

Pastor Hybels speaks about the people at Willow Creek Church who have decided to pitch in to do work for God.  His examples include an airline pilot who has opened his home to high school students on a weekly basis so they can have a comfortable setting for food and fellowship.   He also cooks all the food.

They have a married couple at Willow Creek who have taken the minimally landscaped church and designed and planted flower beds which they maintain.

There is a carpenter who coordinates free handyman service for all the single moms in the church.

A woman who suffered through a horrible divorce has started up a divorce recovery ministry so others won’t have to suffer the way she did. 

There is a dad who did not have a close relationship with his father and he has become a key organizer in Dad/Son and Dad/Daughter retreats at Willow Creek.

Then there is the businessman who made six figure-a-year income but went bankrupt due to out-of-control credit card spending.   He has started a “Good Sense Financial Ministry” to help young married couples avoid the pit he fell in.

These examples are all excellent and they may stimulate ideas about how Christians may do God’s work in the church but let me add a few examples from my church [St. John United Methodist].   I am not able to list all the volunteers and these examples are in no particular order. 

We have a wonderful husband and wife team who have been cooking in our kitchen for years.   They plan, shop for and prepare our Wonderful Wednesday meals.   I have worked closely with them over the years and I know first-hand how much work they do behind the scenes.   Too often people show up, pay their five dollars and don’t consider how hard it is to cook for 100 people each week.

We have people who are dedicated to Boy Scout, Cub Scout and Girl Scout work.  They value the lessons learned by children in this context and they have organized, coordinated and helped sponsor a growing numbers of children in scouting at our church.   This is time-consuming volunteer work.

There have been for many years a group of men called Levites who work to keep our church functioning.  From plumbing to fixing a leak in the roof, to mowing the huge yard and cleaning gutters, they have saved our church thousands and thousands of dollars.  Their work is done free of charge.

We have a man who very quietly checks on our church members every day.  He takes it upon himself to call and visit people when he can.   He prays with them.  He leads an intercessory prayer team and when you hear his prayers, you realize he is plugged into all the people in our church who have needs.

We have a man who has a gift for landscaping.  Our campus is big and it has lots of flowers, shrubs and trees.   The job is too big for one person but we have one man who is always at church working away at making the ground looks better.  Sometimes he has help but often he is there by himself.

We have a woman who has never been a professional florist; actually she has spent her life as a school teacher and a substitute school teacher.  Yet every week she shows up at church with flowers from her garden and roadside flowers.  She places the most beautiful and creative flower arrangements all around our church.  She makes every Sunday a little prettier.

Our United Methodist Men have builders and they will assist a debilitated church member with an entrance ramp to a home for minimal materials cost.   Their labor is free.  They have built ramps for people who are permanently homebound and people who are recovering from surgery.   It is too hard to move to a new home in the event of a disease or injury.   It can assist in the healing process to be in one’s own home.   You don’t have to be uncomfortable learning how to operate in a new environment. 

I know how it feels to receive this love from my church family.  A UMM church member built ramps in my home when I broke my pelvis in October of 2016.  I needed him and he came at my time of need.

When Pastor Hybels gives his examples he is trying to encourage people to do what they can to serve others.  Maybe some members of my church already understand his message.  I suspect that there are churches all over my community with similar examples.

The main idea is to take the non-volunteer, the attender of Sunday worship and get them to see that there is work to do at church; work that they are suited for.   It does not matter what the work is; it just needs to be done.   Some can do big things and others can do small things.   It does not matter as long as the work is being done for the glory of God.  As the Nike slogan goes “just do it.”

A much less popular but compelling statement comes from Martin Luther King Jr., a man who accomplished a lot in his life.  He wanted everyone involved and he wrote the following words that can inspire us all:  “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.”

No matter your skills and abilities, God needs you to do His work.

“Just Do It”

Let’s just say that you buy into the whole concept of “holy discontent.”

You have decided that you are not someone who believes that your life is purposeless.   You think you are living in this world right now for some reason.   In fact, God has designed you for a purpose; He has a certain role that He wants you to perform.

Here is the big question:  “How will you know your one thing [your holy discontent] when it shows up?”

Pastor Bill Hybels says that finding your holy purpose will “move you off dead center, get you off the couch, and thrust you in the game . . . you say yes to serving God’s agenda in the world, He begins the process of channeling the holy-discontent frustration into a positive vision that propels you into a future charged with energy and purpose. . . .At some point along the way, you’ll find yourself so astounded by the kingdom-oriented voltage coursing through your veins that you’ll lift up your head and with no inhibition whatsoever shout, ‘I was born for this’” [Hybels, 55].

Folks, to quote the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow, this sounds like reaching the top of his famous pyramid, the ultimate need of a human being  is being met: self-actualization.  This means that one is achieving his/her full potential, but for a Christian, it is all done through service to Jesus Christ.

What can tip us off that we are not going to reach our full potential?  What are the wrong turns we can make in going down our road to maximum growth through belief in Jesus Christ?  You know, keep you from being the branch that bears fruit for God?

First of all is the mistake we make when the world’s standards become our measuring stick.   What God may ask you to do may pale in comparison to what the world considers important.  We all know what the general public wants:  money, the trappings of status [expensive car, expensive home, expensive clothing], and power over other people.   It is so tempting to be caught up in the rat race of trying to get this stuff.  The Christian knows that “stuff” will not bring happiness; happiness comes from finding your place in this world in the body of Christ.  It is a humble life we should follow, a calling with undeserved grace.  God has given us all certain skills and He intends us to use them but not to accumulate world wealth, status and power.

Secondly, pride is a major barrier to a person’s discovering holy discontent.   But let’s not be confused; God does not intend us to have low self-esteem, for that can lead to a Christian saying I am not able to do His work.  He just wants us to humbly accept our place in His plan for us.  Maybe a situation calls for you to step up and take on a task but never take on a task thinking that your ultimate aim is to get credit.  Pride is when we become so self-absorbed that we find ourselves being independent from God.   Recall the attitude of Satan who sought to become so powerful and prideful that he made an effort to be like God.

Finally is the person who wants to operate in isolation from others.   God does not want us to be apart from others; He wants us to be a part working together with others to accomplish a goal.  It takes the body of Christ to work with us to help us define our holy discontent.  As in the human body with its many working parts, the body of Christ has many members, and not every member has the same function.  Individually, no particular part of Christ’s body is more or less important.  None of us can do without the other.  We are limited in what we can do and therefore interdependent upon each other.   Separately and independently, we can make an impact; together with other like believers, we can really change things.

Hybels calls our calling or our holy discontent our “personal burning bush.”  Max Lucado calls it “that inner music that no one else hears precisely the way you hear it.”  Whatever it is, it becomes a preoccupation that controls your attention, keeps you up at night, captures your heart and ignites your imagination.  If you are not driven by worldly standards, consumed by selfish pride and do not want to work in isolation, you may be hearing “that music.”

And don’t worry about the work that is to be done.  It will get done because God will bless it.  Look at the words of Psalm 90:17 and take them to heart:  “Let the beauty and delightfulness and favor of the Lord our God be upon us; confirm and establish the work of our hands—yes, the work of our hands, confirm and establish it.”

Have you ever wondered why you have had to go through some of the things you have had to go through?

If you have lived long enough, lots of “things” may have occurred: maybe a divorce, an accident, a disease, an addiction, mental health difficulties…the list goes on and on.

If you have been a believer, you may have experienced some “mountain top” moments”: the time you aided a friend when you did not think you could do the work but you did, that time when you had to be there for a family member to assist them in their last days and it worked out far better than you thought, the disaster you suffered when you made a mistake and hurt yourself and the joy of finding your way through recovery and the wonder of learning new things about God’s power.  That list can go on and on too.  When God works a miracle in your life, it is wonderful.  When you know you are growing, it is fantastic!

Pastor Hybels* refers to these things when he says “when you find yourself standing on the sacred ground. . . you hear God say ‘This is why I made you and why I wired you up like I did!  This is why I allowed the mountain-top reason-for-rejoicing times in your life, as well as why I let the pits of despair sneak in. None of the tears of anguish will be wasted; I plan to use every ounce of what you’ve been though for good in this specific area. . . [God says] ‘I just happen to have in mind someone exactly like you to help me solve this [problem].’”

If you “buy into the premise” of Holy Discontent you may wonder what is my holy discontent?  You may be looking for that problem that tears at your heart, that problem that you will dedicate your efforts to…you know, your special service commitment that will make a difference.

You have given your life to Christ and now you have begun the process of transformation…that process of being transformed into Christ’s image.    You are thinking about yourself less and you are looking to serve others.  You are resisting the temptation to judge others and for the first time you are willing to extend grace and help others with their redemption.

You are ready to go…

But you may be ready to make a big mistake…

The problem is that you are trying to force things.  I have been “on fire” for the Lord myself and I have seen countless other Christians “on fire” also.  The joy of the Lord is in my heart and I have boundless energy to tackle any problem.

In my experience this may be a time for you to stop…and think, and pray and seek counsel from other well-meaning Christian brothers and sisters.

As human beings, we need to recognize that our timing is not God’s timing.  Becoming more like Christ is a long-term project and we sometimes want action NOW!

Too many wonderful people have lost their effectiveness because they have taken on a challenge that they thought was right, but it was not.   They were determined to act quickly without consulting God about the situation.

When I retired in 2013, I immediately was asked to head up a project in our community that dove-tailed with what I was doing in my church.  I was heavily involved in providing Christian education opportunities at my church so naturally, I could do this for other people in other places.

However, something just did not feel right.   The more I talked about this change, the more I felt less inspired to sign on to this commitment.  I remember I waited for nine months to determine what I was to do.  It was not my determination; it was God’s.  I prayed and prayed about this project.  I studied a book on Christian activism and taking chances to do the Lord’s work.   The more I thought about the commitment, the less it seemed to be me doing His work and the more it seemed to be service to the person who asked me.  I finally knew it was not an opportunity for me to serve God and I turned it down.

Now, four years later, I can see the wisdom in waiting for God to lead me.

He has other things for me to do, things that are more appropriate for me.   Service opportunities that are a better fit.

When will I have my “burning bush” experience?  That big commitment that is born from my desire to eradicate a serious problem?  My Popeye moment?

I am not sure.

But I do believe this.  What I have been through thus far in life is all about preparing me for that moment when it arrives.

In the meanwhile, I will serve in ways that I can and I will be available…

To do His work…

The author of Holy Discontent

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Maybe you thought about the examples of Popeye people that Bill Hybels uses in chapter two of his book Holy Discontent.  Mother Teresa, an example of extreme charity, caring for the less fortunate and doing it in a humble way.  Martin Luther King Jr., inspiring a country to look inward, exposing in an honest way the racial divide that has defined America and helping to force politicians to pass laws to address inequality.  Dr. Bob Pierce and his founding of World Vision to help with starving children around the world…

Your response may be “Wow, I can’t do big stuff like that!” or “That is not me!” or “I am not built like that!”

Those responses are all valid.

But…

What are you built to do?

To quote Shakespeare’s’ Hamlet “There’s the rub!”

You were built to do certain things.

Hybels states “We are all created to do good works.  I was created to do good works.  Just as confidently, I am here to tell you that you were created to do good works, which explains how I know you have a holy discontent banging around in your brain somewhere—if you are alive and kicking today, then there is a specific work that you are expected to do.”

I believe that.

We don’t have to compare ourselves to Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King Jr.  They had a God-given skill set to enable them to do what they did.

Your skill set is unique to you.

Hybels talks about giving your life to Jesus.   That happens to Christians.  There comes a time in life when we know that we love Jesus and know we need to believe.  For many Christians it seems to stop right there.  You are justified, made right with God and that is enough.

No so.

That is only the beginning.  When we are justified, God has forgiven us of our sins and we know it.  We feel His love and we know we are acceptable, no matter what “the world” says.

But that is not enough.

God wants us to continue to grow.  We should strive to be sanctified, which means we embark on the road to greater knowledge of God and greater service to God…all the days of our life.

What Hybels is really talking about is the Christian who stops growing.  I joke about this from time to time, calling it the Christian example of “arrested development”.   A Christian is born again and that is where it stops.  Hybels says “have you ever wondered why, when you turn your life to God, you don’t just get express-freighted right to heaven?”

I think I know.

God wants you to be His hands and feet here on this earth for a while.

Too many of us “opt out”.   We develop a “poor little me” attitude.  God is not interested in what I have to offer.  Maybe the reason for opting out is that we lack confidence in our abilities.  I know I have the talent but my talent is not great.   Some folks may be very happy to sit on the sidelines and let others do the work.  Maybe that is lack of confidence or maybe it is something worse…sheer laziness.

It takes a while but a life in Christ is a life where I learn to live for someone other than me.

The lesson takes some time but if I dedicate my life to Him, He will show me what to do.

There is work to do all around us, and some of that work is perfect for me to do.   I have the “skill set” to do it.

“There is a set of tasks with your name on it that God has given you to accomplish, and long before you arrived on the scene, God planted certain seeds in our soul that He remains whole-heartedly committed to watering, growing, and making into something meaningful, if you let Him” [Hybels, 51].

Let me close with this simple admonition.

This is a dangerous prayer to pray for the Christian who does not want to grow, the Christian who wants others to do the work, the Christian who is convinced that they lack what is needed to do the task at hand.

It is simple but it enables you to be the branch that yields as much fruit as you can:  “God, use me.”

Get ready; He will…