NOT Main Character Energy
My husband and I have four kids. Their current ages are 24, 22, 20, and……12. We’re in a transitional season, with kids in college and moving out. Our nest isn’t empty, but it’s shrinking. But what fun is it to all be together! My husband refers to this as “getting the band back together”. When this happens, I don’t care what we eat or do. I just want all of “my people” sleeping under the same roof.
This past Thanksgiving was shaping up to be spectacular. The year before, our two oldest spent their own money visiting their brother, who was studying abroad in Spain for his first freshman semester. But this Thanksgiving, everyone was going to be in town. Both of our college age boys would be home, and our daughter would be down for most of the week with one of her roommates and her cat! Not only would “my people” be present, but there were bonuses as well.
I checked with everyone who would be here for Thanksgiving to see whether they would attend church the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The thought of everyone worshipping together made my heart happy because it doesn’t happen much anymore. The college aged kids would attend church. However, my daughter planned to return to her townhouse in Pennsylvania on Saturday morning. She wanted to do laundry and get settled before work on Monday.
At that moment, I had a choice to make: Look to my own interests? Or the interests of others? Her reasoning was totally valid. I understood it perfectly. But it sure would have been nice to have my whole family worship together on Sunday. Ultimately, I choose not to make it about me and guilt her into staying, but rather to love her and respect her wishes. See, it’s NOT about me.
We all think we’re the main character in our story. It’s all about us and what we want. What’s good for us? What do I want? We get into so much trouble by trying to control the outcome of every situation and manipulate circumstances so they benefit us. But if you stop and take a step back — God is the main character. It’s His story that’s being told. HIS story is being told in OUR lives. The Bible Project (https://bibleproject.com/) has a tag line stating, “The Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.” Everything points to Him. God the Father. God the Son. God, the Holy Spirit. HE is the main character. The other characters in the Bible — Adam, Moses, Mary, Paul — they are all supporting characters. The most amazing thing is that WE are supporting characters too!
In my situation, I chose to step back and give God the spotlight rather than steal the scene. If I had stolen the scene and insisted that my daughter spend more time with us, I would have been happy in the short term, but it might have damaged our relationship in the long run. Allowing God to work in the time we had together made it a blessed time filled with laughter, memories, and great food.
Remember, God is the main character, and our job as supporting actors is to help Him look good. If we go to God daily in prayer and ask him to help us think of others before ourselves, we allow God to shine brightly through us. As we live out our days, let’s continue to look for ways that we can step back and let God have the spotlight.
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Are you stealing the scene from God? Do you need to hand over the spotlight?
PRAYER
God, You are the main character in Your redemption story, and we’re just supporting actors. Help us to step out of the spotlight so Your light can shine! Amen.
Julie loves traveling, National Parks, reading, and creating. She lives in Delaware with her wonderful husband. Together they have four awesome kids. She’s excited to share what the Lord has placed on her heart with all the Daily Treasure readers. She prays that these devotions are a blessing to you!
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
