I am living a season of life where this word is the foundation of my search. So many people my age are going through the same thing. What is it that defines you? What are you? Do you define yourself by your friends? By what you own? By what you wear? How is it that this is the most important thing about you, and yet we feel so confused and scared of what defines us?
You see, the only thing that can define us is the affirmation of God. It is what we long for. You remember being a kid and creating something so amazing that you just had to show Mom and Dad? They would come and look at what you made. Sometimes they’d praise the work you did, others they would be disappointed because it was creatively destructive. But isn’t that what we’re trying to do with our lives? Don’t we live in such a way that we are asking anybody to come and look what we did? We’re searching for affirmation that our lives mean something.
It doesn’t matter whether you have faith in God or not. We are wired this way. We want to know that our lives have meaning. We need to know that we are living out our purpose. What I believe is that until we can surrender our lives that we are creatively destroying to God, that we can’t define our lives in such a way that generations will recall. Our definition must come from God. He must be molding our lives and we must remain moldable.
For a long time I have wanted to have something to offer. I have longed to make a difference for the Kingdom of God. I wanted to get out and be somebody. I don’t want to be overlooked. Often times I feel like I’m not doing enough. I feel like if I’m not the one in charge or the one who is needed that I don’t matter and that God doesn’t use me. That’s wrong. I’ve thought that if I can’t evangelize, that I must not be a strong Christian. There’s something wrong with me.
I’m beginning to learn just what my life means to God. It is a beautiful, wild, and scary thing. It is strong, it is passionate, and it is full of life and freedom as only God can give. I want to live in that. I’m am trying to take the steps to walk in that relationship with God. I keep messing up. I keep losing sight of God in the midst of stress, in the midst of the storm. I feel like Peter saying “if it is you, Lord, then tell me to come out to you!” And Jesus replying “Come.” I get out of the boat and start walking towards Him, then I look away for only a second and sink. It takes faith that sometimes I just don’t have. I doubt. We all do. And if you don’t, what is it that you see?
I think that we need to realize our definition in life doesn’t come from what we do or who we are. We need to know that what we’re building and what we’re working toward is something only God can create. God will define our lives if we let Him. When we let him do that, we won’t always see the results, and maybe we never will. But it is that definition that we are longing for. That definition will fulfill our lives. That definition is what gives us a purpose. We need to stop trying to build our own lives. We need to realize that we just can’t mark the world like God can.
Look at Jesus. Jesus was the son of God and he is still the most controversial, most well known figure in the history of the world. Abraham, allowed his life to be molded and marked by God. God defined his life as being Man of God and he is the father of nations. David surrendered his life to God at a very young age. God defined David’s life as that of a leader, of a warrior, of a man who passionately followed HIm. We know David as a man after God’s own heart. David was also blessed as he ruled over the nation of Israel and that time is known as the golden age of Israel.
We are defined by God, and that definition leads to actions that we take. That definition leads to the choices we make and how we live our lives. If you’re thinking to yourself “Well, I don’t know how God is going to define my life” or that maybe you just don’t know if you’ll be able to find what God’s definition is, I’d encourage you to go beyond just praying or looking through the Bible. Start talking with a mentor, a pastor, a group of friends, or find a lifegroup and let them know what you’re looking for. Sometimes we must let other people carry us before the feet of God because we’re too scared or weak, or we just can’t get there period.
