‘You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”’ 1 Peter 2:4-10(NLT)
‘And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.’ Romans 8:28-30 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/ROM.8.28-30
I wonder how many workaholics, “control freaks,” and obsessively-driven individuals are running from a deep-rooted fear of insignificance. I wonder how many of us are silently afraid that one day, as we near the end of our time on earth, we’ll look back over all our years and see little more than busyness—a life spent pointlessly running from one task to the next with little of eternal value to show for it.
When our daughter was young, I stayed home and often felt insufficient and unseen. Though I believed in Christ and followed Him as best as I could, I didn’t know how to live in Him. I didn’t believe that He truly was enough and that I was enough in Him. When I looked around, everyone seemed so much more successful and important. Wanting to “measure up,” I strived to be the perfect mother and wife. If only I kept our house clean, cooked meals from scratch, and raised our daughter to become a well-adjusted, contributing adult, then I’d have value and significance.
My standards were too subjective to soothe my aching heart. Worse, all my striving distanced me from my Savior, the only One with the power to define me and the authority to assign my purpose. And make no mistake, He does have a clear and glorious purpose for me—for you, as well. One that, when pursued, leads to abundant joy and peace. We will never truly feel complete until we do that which we were created to do. Though our God-assigned roles don’t define us or add to our intrinsic value as God’s beloved creation, they will fulfill us.
Most, if not all, of our longings, including our desire for significance, stem from some need—for security, love, purpose, etc.—God hard-wired within each human heart. Problems come whenever we attempt to fill those needs in our own wisdom and our own strength. This never works, at least, not for long, and we end up feeling discouraged, defeated, and many times, disillusioned.
This often causes us to chase after that next accomplishment, then the next, as our fear of insignificance grows. We discover our gospel-centered purpose to know Christ and make Him known when we surrender all to Him and seek His will above all. Then, not only will we find the answers our hearts so desperately seek, but we’ll find ourselves: who we are and were meant to be. And that is a beautiful and deeply fulfilling way to live.
~Jennifer Slattery
from Faith Over Fear