*This article was first published online at Christian Today.
I’m sick and tired of listening to the crowd. It’s
tiring. It’s demanding. It’s not always truthful. It’s sometimes uplifting and
other times not.
If God could shout
a message loud and clear, I’d be ready to hear it.
Let me side track
a few moments.
As the State of the Union Address was being delivered, the secret service ensured one of the state secretaries stayed behind in the White House. In the unlikely event that a catastrophe took place, this person would assume the position of President of the United States.
He or she is
classified as the ‘designated survivor.’
As I sat on my
couch watching this new Netflix TV series, the character Tom Kirkman (played by
Kiefer Sutherland – you may remember his from the series ‘24’) was hurriedly sworn in as POTUS. Then he was thrust into the
Situation Room and had to help stabilise the political tension in the Middle
East, and prevent the U.S.A from going into economic meltdown, all the while
dealing with his own insecurities of being in such a prominent position.
Episode one, done
and dusted.
The show reveals
Tom Kirkman as just a ‘secretary for
urban development’, someone who many characters in the show believe was not
capable of being President of the free world. Leadership was thrust upon him. Though
was he ready?
You can hear the
questions loud and clear. Who am I to be President? Am I really who people say
I am? Are the critics right, should I step down? Or do I have the capacity?
Taking a step back
from this fictitious adventure, and considering my own life, I have had to deal
with my own sense of adequacy. Am I called by God to be a full-time minister? If
I am, then am I qualified enough for this work? Will people recognise my
capacity and calling? Will others support me on the journey? And what do I do
if there is a disconnect between what I think about me, and what others think
about me?
I promise you, I’m
not a raving lunatic. I just have lots of questions.
Truth about
yourself can seem elusive and even seemingly subjective when you listen to all
the noise in the crowd. People have different opinions on you. Sorry to break
the bad news. Not everyone thinks you’re amazing. Some think you’re awesome.
Others misunderstand you. Others talk about you behind your back, but others
have your back.
This was no
different to Jesus Christ.
Consider for a
moment, that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. Some just called him Joseph’s
son. ‘He’s just a little boy born in Nazareth. I’ll believe he’s the Messiah
when I see some more proof!’
Jesus called
himself the son of Man, and the son of God, sent from the Father. He knew the
Father had sent him, that he was the promised Messiah to bring salvation to the
world. Many in today’s culture just think Jesus was a nice man who walked on
the earth teaching nice moral ethics. (I suggest to you, if Jesus walked around
saying he was the Son of God and that he is, ‘the Light of the World’, he
either was, or he’s a lunatic!)
Jesus died on the
cross for the sins of humanity. Some just thought he was crucified like any
other convicted criminal of the day.
Jesus rose from
the grace to conquer sin and give new life and hope. Some scholars today work
hard to discredit the authenticity of the reality of the resurrection
narrative.
Some people of his
day absolutely misunderstood who he was.
People can say what they want
All I’m saying is,
people can say all kinds of things about you, but that then doesn’t change the
truth of who you are. People can make assertions about your work performance.
People can talk about your family when you’re not in the room. And through all
the noise, there is one truth that I feel like God is screaming out to tell
you.
That’s why I published
Jo Brookshaw’s latest drawing called ‘Daughter Zion.’ Take another look at it.
In Isaiah 58:1 the Bible says, ‘Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your
voice like a trumpet.’ This picture is of my daughter Shekinah, giving out humungous
shout to the Lord.
Consider your own
thoughts about your life. Some of us have negative self-talk that drowns out
the rest of what we hear.
It’s hard to hear
God above the sound of our own insecurities.
Some of us have
been abused and mistreated and so the core of who we truly are is lost in the
hurt, pain and bitterness. But God is shouting out something to you today…
You are who I say you are!
That is, you find
your identity in who God says you are, not in who you may or may not think you
are, and surely not what the crowd says about you.
A moment of preaching
Forgive me,
because I’m a preacher by trade, so permit me a moment:
You are made in
God’s image.
You are a child of
God.
You are loved
beyond measure.
Your personality
is hand-crafted.
Your sin does not
define you.
Your looks do not
fully describe you.
You are who God
says you are.
Tom Kirkman and
Pete Brookshaw will need to keep discovering who they truly are. Tom is capable
to be President. Pete is loved by God more than he realises.
What about you?
Can you hear God
yelling out… ‘You are who I say you are!’
Pete Brookshaw is the Senior
Minister of The Salvation Army Craigieburn. He has a Bachelor of both Business
and Theology and is passionate about the church being dynamic and effective in
the world and creating communities of faith that are outward-focused,
innovative, passionate about the lost and committed to societal change. He has
been blogging since 2006 at www.petebrookshaw.com
about leadership and faith and you can find him on:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/petebrookshaw
Twitter: www.twitter.com/petebrookshaw
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