Out of the Rubble of Our Lives

Another lost job. Another failed relationship. Another major setback. That feeling like everything is falling apart or closing in on life as you know it. Frustration. Painful memories. A spinning carousel of emotions that make you feel out of control. Ever been there? You are most likely reading this for this very reason. I know that I have. So, let me be real here. Let me strip away the cancerous nature of my outer shell and the personna that says, “nothing phases me or gets me down.” Let’s be real for a moment.

This is what I have learned from the ups and downs, the pain, the failures, and the setbacks of my life. There is nothing we have done or will ever do – including success in relationships or our public life – that will ever be lasting when it is not done with Christ at the center of it . When we live for ourselves and our own ambitions, appetites and desires, things do not turn out good for us. Truth is that our lives and those around us that matter the most to us will suffer for our sins and foolishness.

The good news is that when we come to the end of ourselves and see the mess we have made of our lives, we can find great hope in the midst of our pain and dispair. When we come to our end, we are perfectly positioned before a loving God for something beautiful to come out of our failures and broken lives. When we stop seeking after our own will and begin seeking after our heavenly Father’s will, we find God sitting on the edge of His throne with open arms for us to run into.

It is in this moment of Truth about ourselves when we see how our own ways will always end in disappointment, shame, pain, or grief. This is the point when we must make a choice. Do we try to figure our way our of our messed up lives or do we turn towards the One who created us and seek HIS will and ways for our lives. It is in this moment where we have come to the end of ourselves and our own ways  when we surrender our broken hearts and broken lives to Him, that HE SHOWS UP.

When we surrender our lives to God, He is free to do what He does best – raise up a trophy for His glory out of rubble of our lives. When we surrender to His will and ways, He is able to call us to Himself so that we may fully know Him and His purpose for our lives. Our Heavenly Father will give us all that we have need for and accomplish all that we were created for. We will fulfill HIS purpose for our lives to our generation.

This is an awesome photo illustration that speaks to the reality of contrast between man’s best attempts to do something great without God in it, and what true creative greatness looks like beyond the walls we build around ourselves and our abilities. Even in man’s greatest attempts to do something great, without God in it, it amounts to nothing but rubble in light of what God’s best use of our time on earth can be.

Are you using your time wisely and seeing lasting fruit from your efforts? If not, consider where you derive the source of your inspiration, wisdom, abilities, and strength from.

When will we learn that the author of success is God? When will we give Him his rightful place in our lives that He desires? When will we learn that all things are possible if we put Him first in our lives – in every area of our lives? As we begin to give God His rightful place in our lives, the beginning of our greatest opportunities and success in life will show themselves.

Take a moment and let Him know that you want HIS best in your life and not your best. Whether it is your calling in life, your family life, your love life, or how you conduct yourself in your personal or private life, let Him know your needs and what you hope for. Our heavenly Father LOVES to bless those who come to Him in humility and fear (reverence).

This attitude before God is the key to saving your relationships, protecting your children (if you have any), saving your business or your career, and ultimately, leaving a legacy after your life is over that points those in and around your life to our Heavenly Father through the person of Jesus Christ. When you are laid to rest in the grave, what will the dash represent between the day you were born and the day you die? What will you have done that will last? It’s never too late to rise out of mediocrity and the rubble of your life’s failures, and experience God’s best for your life.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.