It’s Time to Move! Sample

  

I once had a pair of shoes that I really wanted to wear. The problem was, the shoes rubbed up against one of my toes. I decided to go for it. 

The weather was beautiful, but everything in my mind and body was focused on addressing the pain in my foot. I shifted my weight and did my best to endure the pain. But by the end of the night, I had barely enjoyed my evening and took my shoe off to find my toe bruised, broken skin, and all.

Why hadn’t I just changed shoes? I had others. But, because I was unwilling to take action, what should have been an easy fix ended up distracting and derailing the rest of my night.

In the same way, when we let life happen to us instead of being intentional in our thoughts and actions, we often end up letting our experience define our identity. If we’re not careful, the weight of our past can alter how we see the present and future. We need to ask: How do we overcome pain in our lives instead of letting it distract and derail us?

The story of Naomi and the story of Joseph show us what happens when we begin to let our experience define our identity. Naomi (which means “pleasing”) is the mother-in-law of Ruth. She faced famine and the death of her husband and two sons. In response, she tells people to call her Mara, meaning “bitter.” A name God did not give her.

Joseph was loved by his father and given a beautiful coat. But when he began having strange dreams and boasting of it to his brothers, they became angry and hatched a plan against him. As Joseph approached them one day, they said to each other, “Here comes the dreamer.”

Many of us call ourselves by names God hasn’t given us, or we allow others to place those names on us. We call ourselves “inadequate,” “no good,” or “unfit.” When the narrative of your life becomes more focused on how you feel than where God desires to take you, it’s time to move.

Today and over the next four days, we’re going to look at how we can throw off those old names and begin to live into the destiny God has in store for us. It begins by examining the names we give ourselves.

Scripture: Ruth 1

Scripture: Genesis 37

Discussion question: How have you allowed your condition or the labels of others to distract you from who God says you are?