Nothing to prove

I won this necklace in a giveaway from A Soul Song, and I'm so glad I did. It says "Nothing to Prove," and boy does that speak to me right now.

I've always thought I have something to prove. I have to prove I'm good, smart, sensible. Prove I'm a good Christian with no struggles. Prove I have the answers when people ask those life-altering questions. Or even just prove I'm as cool as those other people on social media whose lives are the colors of VSCO filters. And it just spreads from there. I'm constantly living in a state of proving myself. But, to who? Who do I have to prove myself to?

Well, no one. Not really.

But it's a hard thing to do. To take hold of the sails of my own ship and chart the course I know God has set before me. It's more comfortable to follow someone else's ship, because it proves I know where I'm going. I've found, though, that many times, life is outside my comfort zone.

This year, as some of you know, my word is "direction." For the past nine or so months, my life has become a confusing mix of a thousand possible opportunities and God flat out saying "no" to things. As I'm seeking direction from Him, what a great reminder it is--that I have nothing to prove to nobody, never. I just need to follow my Lord.

It's like what Paul said, in his letter to the church of Galatia:

"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." (Galatians 1:10)

But there's more, you guys. It's not just about me and my journey. I'm learning to embrace the truth that I have nothing to prove; you should too. You have nothing to prove to me or anybody else. You don't have to prove that you're good enough, cool enough, Christian enough, happy enough, or anything else. You don't have to prove anyone right or wrong.

I hope you didn't just skim over that last bit, because it's important. And oh, so true. We have nothing to prove.

Metaphor time: if life is the ocean, we are ships. And we can all try to do the same thing, making sure we all stay cool together and precisely on the same course, but that'll cause a weird sort of ocean traffic jam. I'm not exactly sure what that would be like, but it would probably look really weird. Just a bunch of ships, all unable to go places cause they're all stuck together or something.

But you guys, Christ is our compass, and our calling is the chart we've been given. Paul was called to be a church-planter; the elders of those churches were called to be church-builders. We're all meant to do different things, so let's embrace that. And while we're at it, let's be real with each other. We don't have to be "good enough" at anything, or for anyone. We can be messy, have struggles, be confused about stuff, and not have it all together. And we don't need ten thousand followers to make an impact.

Go on, use those charts and use that compass--go out there, let loose your sails and conquer the open seas!