Sunday, March 16, 2014

When You have Been Marginalized

It is difficult to comprehend the effects that being marginalized can have on someone until it has happened to them. To be treated as if you are of no consequence and have no matter or purpose can be quite devastating. We all have a sense of needing to belong somewhere; and when we have been shoved off or possibly never allowed onto this foundation it can really make us question if we even have value or worth. It will certainly make us feel alone, isolated, and unwanted. 

It is so important that we have our foundation in Christ; and trust in Him for our worth and purpose. We need to surrender completely to Christ in our pain and allow Him to do the work in our lives that this pain is surely working to bring about. This most certainly allows for a dying to self which allows for a renewing of our minds through Christ. "Yet not I, but Christ Who lives in me." Galatians 2:20

I want to go all the way with God. I want to be completely sold out to Him. I want the "Yet not I, but Christ Who lives in me" scripture to be me.

How can I do that? 

There is so much of me that needs to die; so much flesh and worldly thoughts and beliefs. So much doubt and unbelief. So much judging of others. And in the death of my sins/self replace my thoughts with His thoughts (whatever is godly and pure and true etc). I need to allow His Word to become alive in me. I need to walk in the Truth with my eyes focused on Jesus and not on my circumstances.

Now is a time of trial and testing; but I think I recognize my need for this. I have been praying fervently to be completely surrendered to Christ. I've prayed that when I stand before God I don't want to see a vision of God's glorious plan he had prepared for my life if only I would have surrendered and trusted Him. 

But, I want to hear Him say, with open arms: "I know you well! You have followed me diligently and have believed on ALL that I have said without doubting! You have been such a joy to me! I love you. Come here to me!"

I really do want Him to say that to me. And surely this is possible. Surely this is something He desires to say to all of us, right? Would He have created a perfect plan for us to walk in victory if he didn't desire and know we could achieve His plan? We know that He is working in us to desire to do His will; and we know that it is Him doing it and not us, right? Because if it was about me I wouldn't bother to try. But it is not me; it is Him working in me. I just need to take all my idols one by one and renounce them. I need to repent. I need to accept this complete dying to self without doubting God's most gracious provision for me to be a new creation in Him.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Corinthians 5:17

I need to surrender and renounce the old self and be completely clothed in the new clothes Christ has for me. And I need to do this without doubting and through faith that my Heavenly Father really loves me and has glorious plans for me. Plans far better than I can imagine. I know that in my earthly frame I cannot understand the beauty that comes from suffering. But I have seen the effects. God does work righteousness through our suffering.