Who Are YOU Becoming?

Over the past six months to a year, God has been teaching me a lot about abiding in Him and areas that I am really needing to become better at. About a month ago, I was blessed to be able to attend the D6 Conference in Frisco, TX, which looks at ways the church and family can partner together to disciple the next generation. The theme of the entire conference was "Abide in Christ", and I came away with some wonderful nuggets that have been challenging me and changing the way I think and the way I "do life".

Pete Wilson, the founder of Cross Point Community Church in Nashville, TN, was the first speaker, and his words continue to echo in my mind. He challenged us with this statement, "What matters most in life is not what you accomplish but who you are becoming." WOW! In a culture that "rates" you based on all that you accomplish, this goes right up the proverbial nose of said culture! He also used Jesus' own words from Matthew 16:26, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?" This is causing me to ask myself frequently, "Who am I becoming?" My goal is for the answer to be, "More like Christ," and that requires a daily, intentional plan to ABIDE in Christ (John 15) and to make sure that I'm not stuffing my life with activities and tasks that distract me from the goal. Am I a busy person? Yes, generally I am. But I am learning that abiding needs to take place first. Period. It's really about priorities.

Now I need to step on a few toes out there. Can I be blunt? Young people are too busy. Their days are packed to the gills with school, homework, jobs, and every extra curricular activity known to man. They are stressed out, lacking sleep, and running on empty most days. This is "normal", but should it be? As a full-time staff person in a church, I see youth missing church because of job conflicts or sporting events. Youth and church events tend to be the first things that get axed in favor of other pursuits. Can I be blunt again? This bothers me. Not because I desire to have huge numbers of people at events, but because I see skewed priorities. Too often, God is an after thought or at the bottom of the list of priorities. To paraphrase Jesus, what good is it if I have a great list of accomplishments and have accumulated lots of money to buy the stuff I want if I am in danger of losing my own soul? Sobering thought, isn't it?

Bottom line for me is again the words of Jesus, "If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) Abiding in Christ needs to be our first priority each day...seeking His will and His instructions for what we put our hands to each day.  

Who am I becoming? Who are YOU becoming? Who is your CHILD becoming?