Audience of One

I think as college students we feel pressured to perform for a variety of people.  We feel that we need to meet certain standards that our parents would approve of.  We need to perform academically to meet the standards of our professors.  We even feel driven to perform a certain way in the social atmosphere to gain the approval of our peers.  It seems we spend our whole life seeking approval.  We need to be affirmed and we often look to our “audience” for that affirmation.  Likewise when we feel we don’t meet the standards of our “audience”, it can be devastating.  In other words our life is like a rollercoaster the ups and downs brought on by the approval and disproval of others.

            Because we have become accustom to this pressure to perform for our worldly audience, I think it can be a hard transition to perform only for Jesus.  That being said, there is so much peace in only needing to perform for Christ.  When we look to Jesus for love and acceptance we will never be disappointed.  Making the shift from a worldly audience to our Heavenly one can be a challenge, because even though we know it is better for us to perform for Christ and not the world, we still find ourselves caring about the world’s opinion and wondering if we measure up.  I felt this chapter was calling us to fully commit to only performing for God.  Desiring to please Him and seeking affirmation from Him. 

            If we are striving to perform for an audience of one, what are some ways we can deal with the opinions of the world?

            How can an audience of one relieve some of the pressure of performing?

Service vs. Relationship

I definitely agree that service can get in the way of our relationship with God.  I believe this is because we get caught up in the act of doing something good.  We may recognize that something is important and it may be a really great thing, but if we do it in a way that distracts us from our relationship with Jesus, or we do it for the wrong reasons it ceases to be a good thing. 

An example of when that line is crossed could be a worship leader.  They may get so caught up in the act of leading worship and all the responsibilities that it entails that they don’t take the time to worship God.  Another example could be organizing an event.  It is so easy to get caught up in the details or results that we lose sight of why we started something in the first place (to please God).

I think sometimes we just want to check something off our check list and don’t evaluate the reason behind it, or where our heart is.  It seems we often justify putting our relationship with Jesus on hold by saying, “We’re serving the kingdom and ultimately that’s what God wants right?”  Wrong.  God desires a personal relationship with us; that’s why He sent His son to die on the cross.  So while I believe acts of service are a very important part of serving God, if we don’t have the right attitude and priorities it loses its value.  But more importantly, if it causes our relationship with God to struggle then there’s no point.  We need to strive to serve the Lord yes, but we need to keep our eyes on Him through it all.

What are some good ways to balance serving God and maintaining a good relationship with Him?

How do we recognize when our spiritual life becomes a check list?  And when we do, how do we get back on track?

The Importance of Stories

I have changed a lot since getting to JBU.  I mean, it’s a big deal leaving the security of your parent’s home to enter the vast unknown.  I am on my own for the first time.  I am responsible for laundry, food, homework, getting up, and working out my schedule.  If I tried to survive college without changing and adapting I would fail.  The truth is we can’t survive change by acting exactly the same as we did in our previous circumstance.  Life throws us changes; we have to change with it.  That’s really what life is, we face different circumstances and challenges and are forced to adapt.  If we recognize the necessity of change in our life we can prepare ourselves and things will be a lot easier. 

I believe we all need a story because we need to have purpose in our life.  Everyone is looking for some reason why they’re here and what their role in society is.  We can’t just sit back and watch our lives go by, because if we do, not only will we never find our purpose, we will also miss out on many opportunities.  As Christians we have found our purpose in Jesus Christ and serving His kingdom.  I feel like a big part of my story is figuring out how I am meant to serve Him.  It seems like I am starting this journey with an obstacle (not knowing what to do), but that’s the great thing about having Jesus in my life.  I don’t need to have it figured out, because He does.  I don’t need to feel overwhelmed by an obstacle, because He never will be.  As long as I keep Jesus the focus in my story it will be a success.

How do you portray the importance of having a story to someone who doesn’t believe in God?

Why do we fight the author of our story when He always knows what is best for us?

Memory Reflection

            I was a lifeguard this summer, it’s a pretty chill job most of the time but sometimes it can get really intense.  I was in the middle of a 5 hour shift when I heard my supervisor yell my name.  I looked across the water, and I saw him, a little boy had gone down the slide and hadn’t realized he couldn’t touch.  I could see him bobbing up and down in the water.  In a matter of seconds I had blown my whistle, jumped in, swam over, and grabbed him.  I held him in the water and I could feel his heart pounding, thanks to the adrenaline mine was pumping nearly as fast, for a while I just held him waiting for both our hearts to return to normal.  I started talking to him and I eventually knew he was okay. 

            I have replayed that moment over and over in my head and I realize it was purely instinct.  I had jumped in and made the save before I really knew what had happened.  It felt good to do what I was trained to do.  In that moment I knew without a doubt that I was exactly where I needed to be and I was there for a purpose.  I think that so often in our lives that is what we are searching for, we want purpose for our life.  We want to know that what we are doing matters, it’s important and it makes a difference.  When I saved that boy I had that feeling of purpose I had done something significant and it made a difference in someone’s life.

How do we find purpose in our everyday lives when it seems like there is nothing important going on?

What should you do when you are uncertain where God is leading you in life?

Human Flourishing Reflection

I don’t believe control is a good thing.  I think if we believe God is in control and has a specific plan for our life, we must let Him be in control and turn everything over to Him.  However at the same time we can’t sit back and do nothing and just say God will take care of it, we must work with God, not stress about the future, but be assured that He will take care of us.  I think this article nailed the modern idea of success.  In general we believe success is having a good job or receiving awards.  We tend to work around the clock so we might achieve these things and move up in the world.  This article definitely showed me I need to take a step back and ask myself “What does God value?” instead of worrying about what the world values.  I also think it is important to note that our business is usually because we are trying to achieve a worldly idea of success.  If we focus on God we will realize that the activities we spend so much time stressing about are not that big of deal.  One thing I found I struggle with is taking time to participate in a weekly Sabbath.  It is so important to have this day of rest and reflection and a time to just focus on God and His greatness.  This is something I definitely need to strive to do in the future.

            How do we instill in our children the importance of doing work for God’s values instead of working towards the world’s idea of success?

            How do we balance working hard, being overcommitted, and trusting God in everything in today’s society?