Last week I had lunch with an amazing guy. If I mentioned his name no doubt every one of you would know of him. He’s quite the accomplished singer and songwriter and to the bewilderment of many of his fans and the industry he walked away from it all at the peak of his career.
Why?
Because he was living a lie.
His career had pushed him into a place where he was chronically dissatisfied with the life he was forced to live. It wasn’t true to the way he had been wired by his Creator.
You know we talk a lot about the importance of knowing who you are. And I agree, this is vitally important. But I also think it’s equally important to know who you’re not.
I think it’s painfullly obvious that way too many Christian are attempting to live a life that is not true to who they are.
Introverts trying to be the life of the party.
Extroverts trying to go on week long trips in solitude and expecting to be “filled” up.
Unfortunately, often in churches we expect everyone to be the same, grow the same, and look the same. Sometimes in churches we forget about the uniqueness of each soul.
There is so much I don’t understand about life and spiritual growth, but I do know souls don’t develop in cookie-cutter fashion and churches were never intended to become factories which crank out people who would be at the same place at the same time.
I want to reserve today’s comments to one word.
Fill in the blank.
I am not ___________________.
Mine? I am not a journaler.
One word. Go.
I am not happy.
I am not a writer.
I am not SuperMom!
I’m not a superchristian.
popular
You are with me.
then i should add you to my Christmas card list!
I am not God. (thankfully)
I am not God.
I actually have to remind myself of this quite often.
Too Funny, love your sense of humor, you are kidding right???? LOL
…sure.
sure who I am not. Or who I am for that matter.
I’ll be stewing on this one today. And I guess you can add “rule follower” to the list of things I am not.
Obviously.
a pastor
I am not…my mother.
I am not relaxed.
…balanced.
fully recovered.
I am not:a solitary kind of person.
I am not self-confident.
I’m not a leader.
I am not “you”… (whoever that may be)
silent (I talk a lot)
I am not…what you might expect.
… charismatic (in the ability to inspire enthusiasm in others sense of the word).
I am not….sure.
I am not completely whole.
Or simple…
I am not…a writer
finished.
…a person who should be doing home repair!!
I am not….finished
I am not God.
Ready
I am not……worthy
one word does really make things a little challenging… uhm one of am not is A ROUTINE PERSON
.. a loner.
I am not…..PERFECT!
disciplined
Amen! Me either…
…perfect.
your project. (I am God’s poetry, and so is every human being.)
…content to remain in the background.
i am not… who i try to be.
great.
I am not either.
Is there any way your lunch partner wasn’t Cat Stevens?
I am not sure what I want to be when I grow up. I turn 46 next month.
Beaten.
….all together.
unhappy
confident.
I am not done.
God is not done with me.
I am NOT in control! Thanking He who is!
a numbers guy…i hate accounting type stuff
I am not a runner.
Conformed
racist
a community grouper
… outgoing.
insignificant
using all my gifts and I should be…
Lost!!!!!
I am not … a musician (even though I wish I was)
I’m with you Kevin.
I am not able to blog right now, because Tumblr is down
Hahaha
i am not…
forgotten.
quiet
confident.
self-fulfilled.
I am not driven by the “what’s in for me” in business relationships.
Everything to everyone!
a comedienne.
in control.
enough.
I am not my brother
a megablogger
(nor do I have a desire to be!)
Pete, you journal on here almost daily! Love your thought, disagree with your own self-assessment.
It just goes to prove your thought correct – even the definition of journaling is different for everyone.
True!
I am not finished!
I am not trying anymore
special
quitter
a babysitter.
…a numbers guy.
I am not…popular
Good stuff, Pete. Plan B good! I am not? Hmmm… Gonna think on it.
in control
(sorry, two words)
…yet the person God has called me to be. Always a work in progress
I really can’t believe you wrote about this. I am on the verge of crying. This whole week that “message” has been pressed upon my heart; out of nowhere it came. Finally realizing that how hard I’ve been trying to be something “I’m not” is never going to satisfy or glorify God! He is showing me that I was created for very specific things–and that’s okay!! Even if it’s against the world’s standards.
I can’t answer this right now. I realized this week I’m not a LOT of things. But right now, I AM blessed by this post.
Thanks Lis. So glad God used this in your life today.
I am not the perfect christian college kid living only one life…
perfection
naturally disciplined.
i am not….supposed to entertain you every time you see me.
Wow!
I am not a beauty queen!
LOVE THIS…sharing it on fb…
sure!
a loner
I am not confident.
what I made myself out to be.
Without Hope.
I am not content with small stuff
A patient driver! (I want to shoot other cars with a paint ball gun)
That sounds like a FANTASTIC idea!!! I know what I want for Christmas now!
Somehow that doesn’t surprise me Artie!
as content and happy as people think I am.
…as together as I appear to be.
Thanks for your honesty Carrie.
This comment freaked me out. Because my name (obviously) is Carrie… and this is exactly what I was going to write.
I am not… as together as I appear to be, either.
a writer
ready, but I am willing!
Good for you Jessica.
Organized
I am not… Strong (Enough)
ONE word? For a wordy someone? Gah!
I am not… confident.
I am not… finished.
I am not… happy pretending.
See? Can’t just do one word. Thought provoking and a place I’ve been since God spoke at Catalyst, “Know who you are.”
atease.
(it’s one word if i smoosh them together. and it is to be read “at ease” not “a tease”. although, im not the latter either. anymore. praise jesus. amen.)
…perfect.
I am not okay being alone.
I am not… a quitter.
I am not alone!
I am not a HANDY-MAN!
Me either Drew!
i am not the way i want to be but a whole lot better after reading your responses. Laus dei
able to choose just one..
my past.
defeated.
alone.
I am not my past. I love that.
“my past” Wow.
Yeah.
I am NOY my past! That is so awesome!
Girl you said that right! We are not defined by our past but rather for who we are in Christ! #forgivenbaby
I am not the person I want to be.
but i’m a work in progress.
I am not a house-cleaner.
Im not Tomlin, Fee, Stanfill, Hillsong….Im Brandon who is a worship leader serving the local church and gifted uniquely and differently than other WL’s.
I am not my weaknesses
I am not without sin
@fakePeteWilson
Holy Bible I LOVE it! Lol too funny.
I am not…nor have I ever been… SILENT.
…employed.
I am not…. My own.
I am not…. Alone (even when I’m feel lonely)
I am not… alone. I know that there are a lot of people out there… like me… that have doubts, are insecure… but hopeful, trusting God to do His thing.
I am not a wife.
…what I want to be.
I am not…
I am not done being furious at God for falling down on the job.
…less worthly because I am overweight.
humble.
I am not as confident as you think I am…
forsaken
I am not limited by other’s boxes.
I am not defeated.
I am not content.
I am not finished.
as free as I could be, but still trying to run!
I am not…living with my wife right now, and it’s killing a little piece of me every single day.
I am not confident.
I’m not who I was.
who I want to be
I’m in the in-between place
the promise was given
But doubting the vision
Fog obscuring His face
Do I press on?
I am not…emotional.
I am not imperfectly made.
I am not complete.
famous
I am not…my children’s savior. Or my husband’s holy spirit. Those jobs are taken!
Complete
..invisible.
Mary Poppins.
…liked enough to be used
a religion
…a failure because I’m still single.
Giving up!
I am not…. worthy.
I am not content trying to conform to others’ expectations of who THEY think I should be.
I am not perfect.
I am not going to let my singleness define who I am or what I can accomplish.
boring. ( I hope I am not boring.)
skinny.
I still have plenty to contribute, therefore:
I am NOT worthless.
I am not … indecisive, or wait maybe I am …
Ineffective because I pastor a small church in a small community.
Or a small church in a bigger community
strong.
oh, i beg to differ.