Website Admin Staff asked 8 years ago
Oh Hakuna Matata… What a wonderful phrase! According to Timon and Pumba it means “No Worries”. As a kid that was so easy to live by as worries and troubles included my Xbox getting the red ring of death and finding myself ignored by the one I wished would be my valentine. Oh how hard those years were! Yet now as I’m older (Not OLD, just OLDER…) I find myself seeing how stinking hard that is! Worries seem to come from every part of my life nowadays. I worry about my pregnant wife and unborn son even though they’re perfectly healthy. I worry about youth group matters like fundraisers and messages to speak on. The majority of stress seems to come from a one word question… “WHY?”
– Why am I not able to make my pregnant wife comfortable?? (Seriously…It’s not possible)
– Why is my youth group not growing?
– Why is there not more time in my day?
– Why is my cat trying to destroy my house? (Okay, that’s not a worry. They’ve already succeeded)
So I find myself constantly asking God why can’t I just do life better? Why can’t I just be the perfect husband and the perfect youth pastor?
Here’s the truth that He gave me in a simple three word phrase while I was out for a walk today… Pen and paper ready for this? This is totally tweetable.
Only Be Faithful
No no God, you don’t understand. I need to be the perfect husband so my pregnant wife never has to cry and is constantly comfy. I need to be the perfect youth pastor so that the youth from all over town want to fill our church and worship you. It’s all about You God! “ONLY BE FAITHFUL.”
You see, God didn’t call us to be perfect. He didn’t call us to be successful in the eyes of man. He called us to be faithful. Matthew 25:23 we see a bunch of guys given money from their master. He goes away for awhile and comes back to find out what they did with the money. One guy buried the money and chose the lazy and safe route while the other two took a risk and ended up doubling the money they were given. In this verse we see the master looking at them and saying “Well done, good and faithful servant.” He never said good and successful servant. Perfection wasn’t what he looked for. He simply wanted to see the servants trying their best. ONLY BE FAITHFUL. I pray for health over my family and God’s hand in my youth group. Before I see numbers I want to see God moving on hearts. In John 14:6, Jesus says “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It’s not by Pastor Jesse’s awesome youth group game or super cool event. It’s by Jesus. My job description made by man may have lots of odd jobs and program requirements, but my God-given job description is this: ONLY BE FAITHFUL.
Maybe you don’t struggle with the question “Why?” as much as I do or maybe you never feel the lack of Hakuna Matata in your life, but if you are like me, you need to know that the God of the Universe is a mighty God and He can handle our ‘BIG’ problems. Instead of focusing on your shortcomings, focus on God. Look to the ultimate goal of bringing Him glory. Through everything we are called to ONLY BE FAITHFUL. So Hakuna Matata… God’s on your side!
What are your thoughts on this three word phrase and these scattered thoughts? Feel free to dialogue! (I’m pretty sure it’s possible on our website…)