Be Where You Are

In his book, "Dwell: Life with God for the World," Barry D. Jones writes, "Jesus was the incarnate one who dwelt among us to accomplish the mission of God. If we want to become like him, then we too must learn what it means to live a missional life by the power of the Spirit in the places we dwell."

Analysis paralysis. That’s what they say about my generation. We live in a world of so many choices it can sometimes be hard to know what to do. Fifty years ago, so many people, I realize not all, lived in the quintessential small town with a courthouse in the middle of the town square surrounded by all the entertainment, shopping, or whatever one would need. Even growing up in my day, I remember the exhilarating feeling of going to Blockbuster on a Friday night and picking out a movie or two for the weekend. Even those choices could be overwhelming sometimes.

Now we have an overabundance of everything and more choices than we know what to do with. How many hours have we spent not watching something on Netflix or Amazon Prime, but just scrolling through trying to find something to watch? We are blessed and cursed with great abundance. It’s hard not to be a glutton these days. Not just for food, although, let’s be honest, that’s a problem, but for consumption of any kind.

We can see it every day in the wealthy and famous people of our day. It’s not enough to have more than enough, but we must have more than someone else. Maybe we don’t consciously wish ill will upon someone, but we compare. And don’t think this is just a problem relegated to the likes of the worldly and unchurched. Comparison is poison to contentment.

There is a temptation and struggle to always want more. As some of you may know, I’ve been an actor for many years. I started out doing community theatre, and then have done a few TV shows and commercials along the way. I just recently did a commercial, that fifteen years ago, would have been a major dream come true for me. And it absolutely was. But it’s funny how once you reach a goal, five more goals that you haven’t reached yet seem to overshadow the others. Timothy said that, “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). Are you Godly? Are you content?

We are called to be like Jesus where we are, right now, in the place God has planted us, right now. Goals and accomplishments are great, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking you will reach people for Jesus once this thing or that has been done. There will always be something else. “If we want to become like [Jesus], then we too must learn what it means to live a missional life by the power of the Spirit in the places we dwell [right now].”