Oftentimes we get caught up the heat of our lives, or lack of it, and we forget the true reason we were put here. Or maybe we don’t even know it yet.
I’ve had something laid on my heart recently that I wanted to get out there. It’s only been an idea but I now believe it’s been confirmed, so I wanted to share with you.
Down to 3
If you’ve followed me much lately, you know that I’ve been suggesting something along the lines of making everything 3 words. But it’s really more than that.
It’s about simplicity.
You see, as a web designer, we have to focus on the core things that really matter. The things that will add value to a web site and not distract. And there’s a fine line between cluttered and effective.
For instance. Many sites look great. They have great content. But their downfall is that there’s just too dang much of it. You can’t find a flippin’ thing and have even less chance of finding what you’re actually looking for. This is bad, very very bad.
On the flip-side, you have sites that have great content but it’s not well laid out or the visuals are so ugly that we’re turned off and click back. Yes, content is king and always will be, but there’s that line we talked about earlier in that it’s very fine as to what is appealing…and what is a turn-off.
But this theme doesn’t have to be applied to only web design. It can be applied to life…and therefore just about every circumstance and situation that goes on in each of our lives.
Life is about simplicity. It’s about living for something. Working for something. Being, thriving, growing, sharing and loving…for something.
My Struggles
I want to get noticed. I always have.
Being that I’m not a very shy person, that’s usually not too difficult. But being outgoing doesn’t really get you anywhere in terms of marketing these days. And yes, we are all marketing ourselves in one way or another.
My struggles are mostly that of humility. I’m extremely grateful for everything I have and I know that I’m not entitled to anything, but my personality just struggles with this. It’s not easy to admit and even harder to overcome. Maybe some of you have a similar problem?
So what do I do? I pray for humility everyday. And when I, or my wife, catch me not acting right, I realize that my prayer has slipped. It’s hard to admit. But it happens.
Let me be clear though. That certainly is not my only struggle. Just a big one. There’s plenty others to choose from.
In saying that, it helps to set the scene for how “getting noticed” could be a bad thing for me. But this urge deep within me that has been there for as long as I can remember tells me that I’m made for something bigger. Something bigger than working for “the man” all my live long days. Bigger than a typical 8 to 5. Bigger than a retail store.
Bigger than anything I can fathom right now.
My struggle isn’t that different from yours. It is shared my many people in the entrepreneur, change the world, share my idea, follow my dream, pursue my passion realm. Am I correct?
Maybe humility isn’t your problem…but you’ve got something to overcome. The question is, how desperate are you to do so?
Are We Really Desperate?
We had a guest speaker at my church this past weekend. He is Scott Whitson, Direction of Missions for the Southwest Metroplex Baptist Association.
He was absolutely incredible.
He had a few key points in his message but the overall tone was “Are you desperate for Jesus?”
You see, we’re not. We’ve forgotten what it means to fall on our faces and be completely desperate for him to come save us. For him to listen to us. For him to lead us and show us what we are to do.
We’ve become complacent and we live for ourselves and those around us. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself, but we have forgotten the core of why we’re here.
That is a very bad thing indeed.
And this related to my message so well that I was basically in tears calling out to make me more desperate! My lack of humility comes into play everyday and it keeps me from being as desperate as I need to be. Any little stride I make in my business puts a wall up where I fail to remember the one who gave me the freedom to do what I do anyway.
I started thinking almost immediately how I could fix myself so that I can share this message along with mine to others. And I realized something.
My message isn’t my message at all.
My message is God’s message…I’m just the rider of the Pony Express to deliver it to you.
That’s when I realized my other struggle. The struggle that I’ve been fighting since I started writing. Since I decided I wanted to speak in public. Since I started my web design business.
You see, I always wanted God in my business…but I always kept him at arms length.
That’s been my downfall.
My message needs to center around Christ and what he’s done. I’m not a pastor or a theologian. But I can see. And I can see exactly how important it is for us to live out the purpose God has put deep within each of us.
At the Core of It All
This life isn’t about me. It’s not about you either. And my message…and your message, it’s not ours.
It’s Christ.
Or it should be.
So I can tell you from now on that my message will not be about me. It will not be about some other guy that’s done really well in this world. Those are just components to a deeper message. They are just the points in which you and I can relate and understand on a personal level.
The real core, the real message, is about the gift that God has given us all. I know it’s hard to grasp sometimes that we have a special gift. Believe me, sometimes I feel like I’m completely off course.
But I’ve found that when I stay true to what I feel deep down, awesome things happen.
I have a very hard time believing that the God that knit me together in my mother’s womb completely forgot to weave in a purpose.
I have a hard time believing that the Son that came and died for me so I could live forever with him, didn’t think I would do something worthwhile and awesome.
And I have a hard time believing those things about you as well.
The core of it all is not about us. It’s not of this world.
It’s about Christ.
Your Gift is a Gift…LIVE IT OUT!
QUESTION: What’s your gift? Have you found it or are you searching? Are you living it out for Christ?
Jared, one thing I know is that we all struggle with something and you mentioned yours here today. Nut you answered your own question while writing this blog and from the message you heard Sunday. God answered it for you. Are you making a difference through what you do? Where is your passion, your purpose? Pray about humility then go out and share what you are passionate about. You are bigger than the cube, I am just now figuring that out.
Yepp, I did. I actually knew the answer…just denied it. Thanks for the guidance and kind words. That’s why I love writing so much. I can get ideas out there and share my heart and someone understands and is going through the same things I am. Thanks for your time Lincoln, it means a lot to me!
BTW, I had to edit my comment above. It said “Nut” when I meant to write “Note”. Thanks for your candor and transparency. So awesome.
Nut..ha! so funny
I nut what you meant. đ
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things
that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all
my pleasure:Isaiah 46:10
As you continue to keep HIM as your COUNSEL; you will be humbly recognized! Great message Jared!
I think you are a reincarnation of myself in a man’s body at half my age!LOL. I have been learning to give HIM any credit and honor that comes my way. I am also so thankful for HIS grace and mercy without which I would be deemed a failure from the get go!! HE is so good to us!!
đ Glad to hear it connects with you so well!
i know there’s the bigger message in this post but this has particularly touched me today “Iâm not a pastor or a theologian. But I can see.” Just sums it all for me. Thanks for sharing this.
Sweet. I was actually hoping someone got that out of it. I feel I often connect with people more who aren’t theologians…just regular people trying to live it out!
Man, this hits pretty hard, Jared. I think so many of our struggles come down to a lack of dependence on God – a lack of being desperate for Christ. Our American culture and our relative wealth convince us that we’re OK and that we have to pull ourselves up on our own effort. But that desperation that you speak of – that seems to be the turning point. It’s when our lives stop being about our story and start being about our role in the greater story.
Like you’ve said, we’ve got to get that in our core. And as soon as we think we get it, we’ll start drifting away slowly. For me, I’ve realized it’s a continual effort and a continual struggle to focus and refocus and refocus and refocus on Christ.
Precisely. That’s what my manifesto is all about. We all have a very small part in each other’s lives and only when we work according to what God called us for are we ever going to achieve what he’s planned out for us all. Thanks for reading and for your time!
Even worse, a âgood doseâ of the old Protestant Work Ethic⢠often tells us that weâre not OK unless we can pull ourselves up & along on our own effort! Or thatâs how my earthly father always seemed to take it. Those of us who realize we are nothing on our own can feel left out of Godâs favor because of that ⌠that we cannot handle the bits that God âexpectsâ (or demands) us to do on our own.
Realizing that there are no such bits is only half the battle, though. We need to wrap ourselves in the sufficiency of Godâs grace even for the stuff here on earth ⌠even for the times weâre stressed because your nearest relatives are all having serious health issues, or because youâve got so much to do that you canât seem to hear God through all the noise, or whatever.
great post Jared, I attend our church camp serving while my daughter had fun and got lots of spiritual growth. During the main message of the weekend he talked about how we search for things all our life trying to put a square peg in a circle hole in our heart, similar to finding our purpose….when the only thing that fits that hole is Jesus for us.
It was great to hear it put so simply. Great post!
Your blog was recommended to me by my friend Kimanzi and you “got noticed” my friend, I like what you are doing here and really appreciate your candid messages…keep up the good work!
Great to hear Jeremy and thanks so much for stopping by! Kimanzi is an awesome guy and a recommendation from him is a good as gold for me! Let me know if there’s anything I can help you with!
Thanks Jared.
Your post makes me say OUCH!
I tend to be a control freak. I’m a work in progress. For ever step forward I take a few back but I’m growing. I’m more aware and I’m learning the beauty and liberty found in letting God and giving it ALL over to God.
What’s my gift….I think writing. All I know is, for whatever its worth, it belongs to God. My blog is Gods and so is the novel that may or may not ever be published. It’s all in HIS hands.
đ We’re all works in progress. Glad to hear you’re headed in the right direction though. Relinquishing control is really hard to do for anyone.