Tuesday, May 5, 2009

TWITTER HAS BROUGHT IT TO THE SURFACE!!!

Hey Everyone who reads this blog!

So I'm a twitter follower. No it's not a replacement for Jesus but it could ba new religion 4 some. The talk is that Jennifer Aniston dumped John Mayer cos he spent more time with 'Twitter' than with her! For those of u who haven't logged on yet - twitter is kinda like the new facebook - except shorter and easier 2 use. Updates about your life basically. And people follow u & u follow people. I follow more people than people follow me.

So one of the people I am following is someone whom I think is great, someone I look up to. And they were following me ... all cool ... all cool until I went 2 send them a message & found out they were no longer following me. YES - I had been removed as someone whom this person wanted to follow!!!

Now its funny - cos this in the scheme of life it's pretty small, not really worth mentioning - when compared with my relationship with Jesus, my family & friends, maturing as a man of God, man of Character (you get the point), the things others r going through at this time - but isn't it always the way that the small, the tiny, the little unexpecteds - seem 2b the things that remind us the most that we're not all we r cracked up 2b when it comes 2 our character, where we place our security, what our flesh STILL longs 4 even tho we USED to struggle with these things!?!

WELL I FOUND MYSELF STRUGGLING! My brain was going nutso 4 about a day - what did I do 4 this person 2 stop following me on their twitter? & All the flesh questions come at once - have I been too in their face, not in their face enough, what happens if they're upset with me, what did I do 2 upset them? Does this mean i'm losing influence, did I have influence in the 1st place? U get the picture!

Now I know some reading this may think - "ARAN, you've got to be kidding, you're more mature than this." And this actually is part of the problem - uc sometimes I DO think i'm more mature than this!! Forgetting that it is only because of Christ in me ACKNOWLEDGED & REALISED & RELIANT that I CAN be more mature than this. I wonder if every so often The Holy Spirit just gives us a little bit more space to discover just how messed up we can be without him. I wonder.

We ALL have areas of continual struggle in the area of personal security & where we get our esteem. I know we are encouraged 2 get NEW problems in life & that is very true. But looking at my own life & the lives of those closest 2 me I find that there r one or two underlying, root challenges that seem to always be with me. At the very least they leave 4a time but then come back & try & get me 2 doubt my knowing that my security & value comes from no man, woman, position, job, feeling, opportunity, dollar or thing but in a everyday normal yet supernatural relationship with God - God Himself! God Father, God Son & God Holy Spirit! God!!!

What to do with these most challenging areas of our lives that raise their little heads out of the ground, whilst their deep roots are hidden, deep below the surface, seemingly impossible 2 remove?? I know the following isn't new - but i think its helpful (well it has been 4 me & my mini twitter melt down)

1. ADMIT THE PROBLEM
- It goes something like this "In this area of my life, I think wrongly". It's not "This is a challenge but God is working on me, glory be Hallelujah" - its "I NEED GOD IN THIS AREA OF MY LIFE NOW!" In Christ we HAVE been redeemed from our flesh AND at the same time our flesh is still being redeemed. I have had to admit a couple of times this week that my security in Christ is still not where it can be, it's still flawed, still has immaturities & only God, through His Holy Spirirt partnering with my choices can change this. ADMIT THE FLESH!

2. SUBMIT THE PROBLEM
- This goes something like "My Flesh wants me 2 get all bent out of shape because such & such took me off their twitter (even tho it could've just been a mistake); My flesh wants 2 feel insecure, isolated, alone, broken, annoyed - but ME, The CHRIST IN ME knows that this 'twitter' moment is an opportunity for Christ in Me to say to my flesh 'What a great opportunity to cement even more my security, my value, my worth, my personhood IN JESUS & not in any man, woman, man, woman, position, job, feeling, opportunity, dollar or thing! SUBMIT THE FLESH! (Daily I find - & i'm sure it's NOT a twitter moment 4u :)

3. COMMIT MY WAY TO THE LORD
- I plan my way, my friends, my dreams, my schemes, my relationships, my opportunities - but it IS GOD ALONE who directs my steps. What a thought, as Sy Rogers shared at our Church recently, that it is GOD who is ULTIMATELY responsible 4 everything that happens to me!!! And that whether a family member or friend comes or goes, whether an economy rises or falls, whether a joy or grief, gain or loss, promotion or demotion, palace or prison, kept or discarded, twitter follower or twitter deleter - IT IS GOD who allows what happens in MY life 4 His reason & His purpose & I am asked to TRUST HIM through it all!!! As the old song says "He's got the whole world in His hands" - so I think the best thing to do in it is to give Him what is His anyway in a willing, voluntary capacity where, under the shadow of His wing, he can protect me when i need protection, expose me when I need exposing, lead me & guide either by green pasture or the shepherds rod & foot on my back as he pushes me through the dirt (as are the literal pictures of Psalm 23.) COMMIT MY WAY TO THE LORD!!! For in the end He WILL have HIS way!

I know this one is heaps longer - but felt it was OK - felt like my moment maybe could help others this week + I haven't said much later.

And the end of my twitter story? The situation hasn't changed but hopefully (please Jesus) I have! Ha! We will see!

TILL NEXT TIME!!!