T is for...

      is for taking hold.


Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Philippians 3:12

 
I turned around in frustration yesterday as I watched my hard work flutter to the classroom floor.  After spending a good portion of time attaching a classroom library checkout space, both functional and cheery, to the cabinet door, I was dismayed to see the heat take effect on the tape I'd used.  The card pockets drooped and fell to the carpet one by one.  Bending over to pick up my then undone work, I realized that I'd need to come up with a Plan B.  I find that not only in my classroom but in life in general, things so often don't go as expected or planned.  If my younger self could have time traveled forward to get a peek at my current life, I think she'd have been quite surprised.  "Huh....this is really just not how I thought it was going to go," she might have muttered.  "Looks great, but that's not exactly how I planned for it to play out."  I'd look my younger self gently in the eyes knowing that a few more years of knowledge and life experience had given me understanding and tell her, "Cassie, it's really not all about you."

This is the truth that God has been impressing on my heart recently.  We live in a culture that bombards us with images and messages that urge us to gratify our every desire and to do what is best for us.  While listening to Klove on the radio recently, I was not surprised by the study being discussed.  According to recent research, texts show an increase in the use of words such as "I" pointing to ever growing levels of selfishness in our world today.  I'd hate to count the number of times my speech includes the words "I" or "me" in a day.  We are a self-centered people and I count myself among its ranks.  I take a deep breath and thankfully realize that this is not what life is meant to be.    

I look to the words of Paul in Philippians, a man who knew better than most what it meant to stop viewing the world as revolving around himself and to embrace a greater and truer vision.  Paul writes:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death -- even death on a cross!  (Philippians 2: 5-6)

Paul looks to the example of Jesus, the One who stepped down from His rightful place of glory and honor to walk amongst the broken of a sinful world.  Christ taught us not only with words but with the absolute act of love and obedience what it means to look to God's plan instead of our own desires when He stretched out His arms and hung on the cross for our undeserved forgiveness. 

Paul further encourages me in this attitude change by reminding me of what should be our top priority as believers, sharing what we have found in Christ with others.  Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (Philippians 1:27)  It's not all about me.  God has a plan I can trust and the role of Christians is to walk in a way that brings glory to our Father.  In this mindset, we are reminded to be content whatever the circumstances. (Philippians 4:11)  It's not my place to come up with Plan B and take matters into my own hands over and over again.  Instead, God lovingly taps me on the should each time to remind me He has it covered.  Oh when will I ever learn?!  Yet knowing our struggle as humans and our tendency to focus on ourselves, Paul reassures us that he who began a good work in your will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6)

It's not really about me.  Over and over we must tell ourselves this as we allow God to transform our deeply ingrained selfishness.  Confident that He loves me deeply and will guide me as a part of His master plan, I grasp these words tightly unwilling to let them go.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.