Ignorance is Bliss!

I had the wonderful opportunity to go to the Catalyst Conference last week. If you have never been, then you should go to their website and sign up for next year. If you are wondering if the conference is for you, then the answer is yes. If you are reading this blog and have made it this far, then I am willing to bet you lead young adults in some capacity or you are a leader that is a young adult. Either way, you would have a hard time finding a better way to spend two days in October, unless Hawaii was worked in somehow.

Even if you don’t want to go to the conference, go to the website and order the messages from this year. In the coupon section mention my name and I will get a cut. Actually don’t do that because it won’t work and I certainly will not be getting a cut. I am promoting their stuff because you need it. The messages given from their stage will challenge you, inspire you, and quite possibly crush you. And these are all things we need in our lives. If you are wondering if this is just going to be a commercial, I promise it has a point and I will get to it very soon.

After reading through Romans 7 this week, I felt a glimpse of what Paul felt when he encountered the Law. As I was sitting inside the Gwinnett Coliseum, listening to Craig Groeshel, Andy Stanley, Dave Ramsey, Seth Godin etc … I was hit with the reality of many things in my life that were not good. Things I was doing that needed to be improved, things that need to be removed, and things I needed to have a new perspective on. All of these things pale in comparison to realizing you are hopelessly lost and you will forever battle against sin, but the feeling was similar.

Romans 7:9-11 shows how beautiful ignorance is. If you never found out how terrible of a sinner you were, you would never have to face that reality. I was faced with areas in my life this past week that I would have rather not had to deal with. It is tough when you know you are not working your hardest or leading your best. It is tough when you get called on the carpet but it is also wonderful. It is painful yet liberating, scary yet exhilarating.

In the same way Paul faced a new reality, it was a reality in which he found purpose, passion and grace. Only after he realized what he deserved could he grasp the love offered by Christ. The journey of following Christ is along one. It will not end for any of us on this earth. As long as we are breathing this air, we will be struggling to become who He sees when He looks at us. We daily struggle against futile pursuits and temporary highs while we long to walk hand in hand with our Father. The journey is a struggle but worth every second of it. Everyday needs to be marked by movement, movement towards Him. On the days when we fall we can take solace in the fact that His movement towards us has us covered.

Take a look in the mirror this week. Not your bathroom mirror but the mirror of the cross. What areas is God revealing that need to change? What areas of your life need some movement?