My Character Vs. My Calendar
I had the opportunity yesterday to continue our Chronicles series at Cross Point. We have been talking about the parables of Jesus. Yesterday, I taught on the parable of the mustard seed. The big idea of this parable is that God’s Kingdom may seem small and insignificant, but through Christ, it will have a tremendous impact. God has given us each “mustard seed moments” and so often we miss them because of impatience.
There have been so many times in my life that I have been frustrated with God. I’ve been disappointed that he didn’t show up in timeframe I thought he should. The truth is that God doesn’t do a very good job of operating on my schedule. I am not, by nature a very patient person. Because I am not patient I have missed countless opportunities to make an impact with my life for the Kingdom.
More often than not, I have been disappointed in my relationship with God because I have equated my calendar with God’s timing. I have missed mustard seed moments in my life because I have expected God’s timing to be my timing…and when it doesn’t play out that way, I lose hope.
Can I share with you today what I am learning? God is more concerned with your character than he is your calendar. God will often allow a dream, allow a passion, allow an opportunity to marinate in your heart until you have developed the character necessary to see that dream or that opportunity come to fruition.
The problem is we aren’t patient. If we’re honest we care more about our calendar than we do our character. We want results. We want growth. We want impact. So we often shortcut the character development process so we can have or achieve what we feel we deserve.
Looking back over the last 15 years of my life and ministry, I see so many times I compromised my character to accommodate my calendar. When this happens in your life or in mine, what we end up with is a false sense of God’s blessing.
Maybe there is an area of your life today that God is asking you to wait…to be patient. Maybe its in your marriage…maybe its with one of your kids…maybe its in your dating relationships…maybe in your finances…maybe its with your job. Maybe today God is asking you to view your character as more important than your calendar…to be patient and allow him to bring about the growth in your heart and life you desperately need.
