When You Get What You Want
by Luke McConnell
Welcome to my first newsletter post! To begin, I’d like to say what a blessing it is to be on staff at Council Road. I’ve been very encouraged by the warm reception, and it’s been great getting to know people I’ve previously only seen from a distance. What a great church family we have!
I wasn’t sure what to write about initially, but I decided to describe my experience moving from News 9 and to encourage you to not fall into the same trap.
I wrestled a lot with the idea this opportunity set me up perfectly to pursue all my passions. I’ve always had a heart for serving others and for ministry (my parents have always been convinced I’d eventually end up in church work). I also have a passion for sports and for the past two years, I’ve been doing play-by-play work for Southern Nazarene University athletics.
When I first started considering the role at the Cube and the schedule, I realized it would allow me to do even more play-by-play work and pursue that passion I’ve had since I was a kid. And what was my first reaction to this realization?
Skepticism.
I honestly felt things were laid out too perfectly for me; I thought having my cake and eating it too was wrong.
Sometimes, I think we take Jesus’ words of “deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me” in the wrong way. It’s clear from my reaction to the opportunity God placed before me I certainly had. Jesus doesn’t call us to live drab, boring lives that have no excitement or happiness. Life in Christ is awesome! Do we deny the “pleasures” of the world? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean our lives are not pleasure-filled and full of excitement and happiness.
Remember, Jesus also says in Matthew 7:11, “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
Why do we think we won’t receive things we want? Why do we feel guilty when we do receive great things we’ve always desired? Clearly, these are ideas the enemy has planted in our minds to make us feel inadequate, unworthy of God’s love and his blessings. I think it’s also an incorrect assessment of our renewed mind in Christ.
The Bible states that no one is righteous and no one does good (Romans 3:10-12). And I think we extend that to our desires as well. Yet, these are indications of our fallen nature. They aren’t meant to be applied to our new status in Christ!
Even though we still sin, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we now have the capacity to do good things, things God has already laid out for us to do and accomplish (Ephesians 2:10).
Why else would David say, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart,” (Psalm 37:4) if our desires were not being renewed by the Holy Spirit and in line with the purposes of God?
Don’t let those negative thoughts take root. God has the power to bless whoever he wants, however he wants. And this cuts both ways. He can choose to opulently bless someone who the rest of the world would never choose to bless. But God can do it because he is God, and his ways are not our ways.
I know not everyone struggles with this, but I wanted to encourage you to not feel guilty because God blesses you or because you have a desire to pursue your passions.
I hope all of you realize you are instruments God is using to reach the world with the Gospel. Wherever you find yourself in life, I hope you rest comfortably in the fact that God placed you there for your good, the growth of the Kingdom and, ultimately, for his glory.