by Evan Dinelli There’s a reason no one says our biggest life lessons come when life is easy. For me, transitions have always been tough—I seem to have a knack for botching them—but they have also been my seasons of greatest growth. Before the struggles of adjusting to college 4 years ago, God was merely a concept to me. But amid the trials of my first semester, the reality of God came into my life and changed everything around me: how I view myself, how I view others, and how I view God’s glory (as ultimate). Upon graduating and moving to Chicago for work, I struggled with consistent stress and seemed to have transition troubles 2.0. There are plenty of practical reasons why adjusting was hard, but here’s the biggest lesson I learned: What you believe affects everything you do, so when you’re assessing your problems, it’s best to begin with the heart. Therefore, rather than giving you my top 5 adulting mistakes—by the way, LÄRABARs don’t count as dinner—here’s the best advice I have for the heart of a millennial in transition: IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. Isaiah 6:1–8 tells of Isaiah’s transition from a focus on himself to a focus on the glory of the Lord. "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!" Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me." God’s glory is ultimate. Compared to God, whatever else has no weight. In this text, when God’s glory comes down, everything is changed. While Isaiah already believed in God before he walked into the temple, until this moment God was just a concept to him. When God was merely a concept to me, I shaped how God fit into my life plans, and not much changed, because the heart of my beliefs didn’t change. What is true for Isaiah is true for us: experiencing God’s glory rearranges our existing beliefs and leaves us saying, “Woe is me!” When we see our lives compared to God’s holiness, we are taken back from thinking of ourselves and made to gaze upon our holy God. You are probably familiar with questions like "What are your plans after college?” or “What’s your five year plan?” When we have the opportunity to contemplate these questions, it's easy to dream and plan selfishly. The trap is to think it's about us: our comfort, our status, and our glory. In these plans we obsess over how we fit in and how others perceive us. On the contrary, the reality of God frees us to take the focus off ourselves and say, "Here I am, Lord, send me.” Your plan, your glory, not mine. The glory of God puts an end to thoughts such as, "Am I ever going to do something big with my life? Does this experience benefit me and make me look good? Do I feel good here?” In fact, we can stop thinking it's about us at all. Here lies the secret for planning and transitioning well. God, help us to be so moved by your majesty that we can be freed of lesser cares and affections. Continually teach us to gaze upon your glory to find freedom from the empty path of self-focus.
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AuthorMay 22nd's post is from Mary Elizabeth Goodell. She lives in Ukrainian Village on the west side of Chicago and works for Hope Works Community Development. She is committed to working with and for the disenfranchised, particularly women who have experienced sexual exploitation and gender based violence.
BloggersWe'll post from a variety of voices of 20-somethings in the Windy City who are navigating life, work and relationships post-college. Archives
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