Micro faith in a Macro world

Are you searching for the heavenly spots?

Are you seeing God at work in everyday life?

What’s good right now?

Remember, love is an action. How might you love your neighbors today?

And who is your neighbor?

The art of self-awareness in a self-obsorbed world.

Welcome to your life. There’s no turning back.

Insta selfies. Snapchat filters. TikTok dances & YouTube challenges. We live in a consumer world that pushes us to the center of our own universe. Nearly every app we interact with reflects back to us like a rose-colored mirror, illuminating all the things that make us feel secure. Included in that are many things that highlight a false security, wrapped nicely with a bow. The more we interact, the more our self-obsorbtion follows, as does the difficulty in answering the one question that nags at our soul: Who Am I?

The struggle is real, no matter your age. Middle school, high school, college, adulthood, that nagging question never escapes us. Why? Because hidden deep inside each of us is often an insecurity that muddles our understanding of who we truly are. The bitter truth is this - our self-obsorbed world often leaves us empty and defeated, heightened especially when our weary souls grow tired of the illusion. It’s painstakingly difficult to keep up appearances. The more we try to fight it, the heavier the burden increases on our shoulders. But there is a cure: Awareness.

What is self-awareness? It is a life skill that will help you learn to understand your feelings and thoughts. It can help you optimize your potential as well. It will also lead you to understand what others think of you, what God thinks of you and your behavior. Developing self-awareness and being able to channelize it in the right way is a very important tool in your overall development.

It’s an internal battle for some: self-obsession vs. self-awareness, sometimes played out in real time on social media. But it’s a struggle worth having. The Apostle Paul reminds us of this in Romans 12:3 - that our worth comes not in what we do or how we present ourselves online or in person, but from what God has done for us. And what is it that the Lord has done? He has given us a life filled with sacrificial love and grace and peace and the more we become aware of our identity in Christ, the more we tend to embrace those values. And when we do, we become more grateful and thankful and God-focused, where love and humility rule. The more willing we become, to take a step back, practicing awareness of God’s presence in our lives and in the lives of others around us, we become more selfless, as opposed to selfish.

One big question arises when we take the time to dig: How might awareness make us more fulfilled and refined? And what steps do we need to take to get there? Proverbs 20:5 says it’s in the digging that we find our purpose. 1 Timothy 4:16 says it’s found in keeping ourselves in check. And here’s one more worth chewing on: the prophet Micah spoke of the Lord’s command to ‘love mercy, act justly and walk humbly with our God.’ - a good and required step out of a self-obsorbed life.

So how can we do it? Self-awareness is lived out in simple acts of patience - quick to listen and slow to speak. It’s lived out in kindness, putting others first. Most importantly it’s lived out in the way we love others, particularly those not like us. Think about the kids at that other lunch table or the last one picked in gym class. Are you noticing the joy and pain of others around you? Keep your eyes open. With clear hearts and full eyes, take a step back and begin to practice self-awareness. Look up from your screens and away from your mirror and notice the beautiful life surrounding you. Hope is prevalent. Hope springs eternal. Do you perceive it? Discover who you really are. Newness awaits but you have to look up more.

#becomeaware

How might God work through you as you become more open to Him and to others?

What action steps can you take this week to become less self-obsorbed and more self-aware?

How might increased self-awareness help you answer the question: Who Am I?

For your entertainment - Watch this VIDEO titled LOOK UP MORE by the group Imrov Everywhere. What lesson can we learn from it? How does it relate to this discussion?

https://youtu.be/RSBXS1npqNI

Are you able to cultivate gratitude? Even now? Give it a shot.

God is with us through the good and the bad, shaping us, preparing us and guiding us through. Read about it in James 1:2-4

What do you think?

How have you experienced God’s presence in good and bad times?

Live life

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

List ‘1 Good Thing’ in your life right now.

Everybody has something to be thankful for. Am I right? Even if it’s the little things, like ice cream on a hot summers night, doing back flips on the trampoline or reconnecting with an old friend via FaceTime. Did you know that reflecting on these good things in life can change your whole outlook? Practicing thankfulness makes us feel better about the circumstances of life. And one of the best things about thankfulness is that the more you choose it, the easier it gets. The more you profess gratitude, the more you notice things to be grateful for.

Thankfulness Scriptures: Click HERE to read through these twenty scriptures on thankfulness. Which one stands out to you?

DAILY CHALLENGE: Praise God with a thankful heart. Before going to bed, make a note in your NOTES app. List your ‘1 Good Thing’ for each day then recite this prayer: “Thank you, God, for the little blessings in life. Amen.”

Perhaps it’s time for a discussion on Surrender & Control & the things that make us anxious.

Take the time to meditate. In your time of quiet, ask God to reveal to you the areas you are afraid to surrender. Ask God to reveal your anxieties.

Make a note in the NOTES app or jot them in a journal. Consider your notes as a prayer of honest confession to God.

Q: What do you need from God right now?

Look up Matthew 6:34 & Philippians 4:6

Q: How do those verses comfort and/or confuse you?

Q: who do you need to talk to about this?

Look up Matthew 11:28-30

I bind unto myself today

The power of God to hold and lead,

His eye to watch, His might to stay,

His ear to hearken to my need.

The wisdom of my God to teach,

His hand to guide, His shield to ward,

The word of God to give me speech,

His heavenly host to be my guard.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

What if we devoted all the mental and emotional energy we could muster into answering the question: "How can I best seek the Kingdom of God?“

Are you bound by worry or tied to seeking? What preoccupies your thoughts? where are you pointing your heart towards?

our we focusing more on our own needs? is the church focusing too much on its own needs? Is it really supposed to be all about us?

“Christ calls us to a different focus, a different way of spending our thoughts and a different place to point our hearts - away from ourselves, our satisfaction and the maintenance of our reputation and on to the Kingdom of God.” ~ Unintended Consequences by Andrew Brims, Nat Gillett

Contrary to popular belief - it’s impossible to hold on to one’s own life and to satisfy one’s own desires, while seeking to expand the Kingdom of God as a sort of side job.