My Worship Revolution

When I used to tour with The Young Americans, we would use this phrase often.  Usually it was joking with someone a bit, but the principle behind it was a very real one that was deeply embedded into the DNA of our cast.  The way we were able to do so well wasn’t by focusing on ourselves, but by focusing on others.

It was funny that in a culture of performing arts, where the goal is often to be in the spotlight, the people who stood out and excelled the most, even onstage, were the one’s who were more focused on helping the people around them to look good rather than themselves.  There was a deeper sense of personal fulfillment that came when you were able to help others excel.  The less focused you were on yourself, the more successful and fulfilled you would be.  Kinda counter-intuitive, eh?

I was thinking recently about the times that I, or others I know, have felt dissatisfied in life or felt far away from God.  I wonder if sometimes God is saying those exact words to us:

"It’s not about you."

Get over yourself.  Maybe it’s not that God isn’t speaking, maybe we just don’t want to hear what he’s saying.  Maybe he isn’t so far away, he’s right there, just not where we’re looking.

So, just a thought for the day.  If you feel far from God, try focusing on caring for others around you more.  What if you cared less about the fact that you don’t "sense" God’s presence, and more about the neighbor next door who doesn’t know Christ at all.  What if you cared more about the person sitting next to you in class who just needs a smile or a hug on a rough day.  Or how about the co-worker who’s marriage is falling apart and needs someone to talk to, but you’d never know because you’ve been too absorbed in your own issues to notice their pain.

The gospel of Christ is never really about us.  It’s always about Him.  At the center of everything.  And the second part of the great commandment, at the core of God’s heart and desires for us, is to love those around us.  Maybe the answer isn’t always more time in the Bible or praying.  Maybe you need to get your nose out of the Bible and go genuinely care for someone else.  Maybe, just maybe, if you’re doing that, you’ll eventually "feel" reconnected to the heart of God, because you’re doing his will.  And even if you don’t, at least you’re focus is where it belongs.