For the past couple of months I’ve been asking specific folks from the BVBC choir, orchestra and handbell choir the same set of questions… and each week I select one person (or a married couple) and feature their answers in our weekly worship ministry newsletter, Rhythm & News. It’s been a great way to get to know one another better across our organization, and it’s caused everyone to consider the question, because they don’t know when it will be their turn on the hotseat! If it’s true that turnabout is fair play, then perhaps this post will “level the playing field” for those who have already had to answer question number four: “What is God doing in your life right now?” Perhaps I’ll even turn this into a recurring column in my blog and Facebook posts… who knows? But for now, here goes.

“By nature I am a people pleaser... “ There. I said it. I’m not necessarily proud of it. But, as I often say, “It is what it is,” and so I spent the largest span of my life trying to be the right person for the people I was with at a given moment, not really compromising my own nature, but subtly making sure I met the emotional or relational needs of the people around me. There have been, at times, moments when I had to “force” a character trait in order to make sure the person I was with found my friendship to be “satisfactory.”

The thing God has been showing me most clearly of late is that when I live my life in surrender to Him, I don’t have to “put on” anything...

False joy - replaced with true joy...
Forced love - replaced with the real thing...
Obligatory compassion - swapped for a heart that cares deeply for the needs of others... (and it’s that heart that moves me to do whatever I can for the one in need!)

The work of God’s spirit in the lives of followers of Jesus brings forth genuine fruit...

In my own life, the reality of this truth grants freedom from the tyranny of working to please others. God’s work in my life instills all that is needed to reflect His love and His character to the people I meet along my way. The real thing... not a forced or false facsimile. And that means the people I meet see the real Jesus, not just my crafting of what I think they need in order to be okay for the moment. And if that means that at some point people aren’t happy with me, then I can rest in knowing that their issue is really with God...

So, there you have it. That’s what God is doing in my life right now... What’s He doing in yours? 

Feel free to respond…