My favorite moment of Greg Herron’s testimony, which we showed in Vinebranch on Sunday, was his description of his early adulthood, prior to his conversion. He was living a life focused on himself and his own wants and needs. It wasn’t working for him. It wasn’t making him happy.
He said, “And then one day it just kind of hit me that I was spending a lot of time being unhappy about the things I didn’t have. Maybe I needed to start thinking about those things that I did have and focus on those instead.”
When he said that, I thought, “Yep. That’s me!” That’s a constant challenge for me in my life, even post-conversion. I’m always tempted to compare myself to others in order to see how well I measure up. I always feel dissatisfied when I do that. Is that your experience?
I’ve preached about the theme of gratitude a lot over the past few years. As always when I preach, I’m preaching to myself, too. (I can’t imagine having it all together, spiritually, that I wouldn’t be preaching to myself! God forbid!)
My point is that God has given me everything I need to be happy. It’s all right here, in my hands and in my heart—by God’s grace. I don’t need anything else. In my best moments, I understand that. But I wouldn’t have an inkling of this truth apart from Christ. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
February 7, 2012 at 8:22 pm
I think the important things were standing beside you when you gave communion on Sunday. What a joy to watch and then to participate at the Lords table.
February 8, 2012 at 8:22 am
Thanks, Paul. That certainly puts things in perspective!