“God . . . made you to be you — and no human being in your life gets the final word on who God made you to be.”- John Ortberg
As John Ortberg concludes Chapter 2 of The Me I Want to Be, he notes everyone in your life wants you to change. In addition, they willingly offer their own agenda for your life.
Yet, you’ll never experience freedom if you spend your life conforming to the image other people desire for you. Only God knows exactly how you need to change. John explains:
“To love someone is to desire and work toward their becoming the best version of themselves. The one person in all the universe who can do this perfectly for you is God. He has no other agenda . . . no unmet needs he is hoping you can help him with. And he knows what that best version of you looks like. He delighted in the idea of it . . .”
However, Pastor Ortberg cites a study the Barna Group conducted showing that most people equate spirituality with trying hard to follow biblical rules. In that case, people view spirituality as an obligation rather than a desire of the heart.
In contrast, John defines spiritual formation as “the process by which your inner self and character are shaped.” Furthermore, not only does God want you to grow, He created the very idea of growth. Also, John adds, the Talmud says each blade of grass has an angel bending over it. The angel whispers, “Grow, grow.”
In conclusion, Pastor Ortberg understands flourishing as a “so that” kind of condition. Thus, John states, “God designed you to flourish ‘so that’ you could be part of his redemptive project in ways that you otherwise could not.” Your next step? Always possible with God.
Today’s question: In your current situation, who has the final word? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Like a river of living water – the Holy Spirit’s flowing”
