The ultimate end.

So I'm on vacation now, and have finally found some time to sit down and get some backed up thoughts on my blog. Being staff on a YWAM DTS is a funny thing. You get to spend 6 months observing people grow in their faith (ideally they're growing) and in relationship with others. One interesting thing I've observed is the topic of this post.

Many students come to the DTS with the desire to "find out what God has for my future". This is a noble pursuit. To walk in what God has planned for us is the greatest way to live out this life we have been given. But the funny thing I observe is this; the harder people look for it, the more elusive it seems. The students will spend time praying, reading, probing the teachings, discussing with others, etc, looking for that key that will unlock their destiny and unveil God's hidden plan. And they will do this for months, to the point that it sometimes appears obsessive. And the clarity they seek remains lost in a Saint John fog. Why? Doesn't God want us to walk in His will, His plan for our life? The answer is yes, He does. "But the elusiveness..." you may ask. I'm getting there.

The following thing I observe is one of the following two scenarios, or phases. The first is pure frustration, a continued hunt with no results. It's sometimes hard to watch someone going through this knowing what they need to do, but saying nothing so that they can learn a more powerful lesson by arriving there on their own. This first phase will last until the person in question learns to let go, to let go of the need to know, to give up the controls to a better pilot. You see, our future can become just as much an idol as anything else in this world. We think it's okay because we are seeking 'God's will", but that is the essence of the problem. See it?

We are to seek God, and to delight ourselves in Him. God is the ultimate end. He is never a means, because there is no higher end to get to. That's what Idolatry is; placing anything higher then God. Until we can be satisfied in Him alone, without knowing what is to come, not caring about a position or title or what others will think, we won't be satisfied at all. To be still and know that He is God is a humbling experience of losing our control. Our pursuit of God should purely be to get to know Him more. He is the goal, our great reward, and not a means to get it.

I close now with an analogy of my own creation. Life is like a wet bar of soap. If we grab it tightly we are sure to lose it, if we hold it lightly it will stay in our hand. Learn to let go. Learn to seek God. Watch in awe as your future unfolds.

Matthew 10:39
Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.