I
am complete in Him...
Colossians
2:9,10
And you are complete in Christ, Who is the head over every power and
authority.
February 21,
2013
Sitting at
Home, Alone
Lysa TerKeurst
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily
form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every
power and authority." Colossians 2:9-10 (NIV 1984)
“They were laughing in their matching neon pink t-shirts with the
words "Bethany's Birthday Girls" printed on the front. They were
going bowling after school. Then to get pizza. Then a sleep over.
“When Bethany passed out the shirts that morning I pretended to be
too busy to notice. I stayed hyper focused on unpacking my book bag into my
locker. And then I hurried off to my first class.
“It was clear. Bethany had made a list of her friends and I hadn't
been included.
“I thought I would be. We'd gotten together before. I'd invited
her to my pool party.
"’No big deal,’ I tried to tell myself all day. I had plans
that night too.
“To sit at home. Alone. And wonder why I hadn't been chosen.
“It's been years since I watched those neon pink shirts all pile
into a station wagon after school and drive away.
“But it hasn't been years since I've heard the negative inside
chatter that ensued afterwards.
"’You're not liked."
"’You weren't invited."
"’You weren't chosen."
“Here's what I wish I could have told my little non-wearing pink
t-shirt self back then ... and what I need to remember when those same feelings
creep in today ... Don't put the whole of your identity into the smallness of
this situation.
Not getting a pink t-shirt that day felt like a defining moment.
And maybe it was for that day. I wasn't invited to Bethany's party. And that
stunk. But it wasn't a defining moment of my identity.
“It was a moment. And moments shift. People are fickle. People
shift.
“In the moment Bethany made the list of who to invite to her
party, I wasn't on the top of her mind. Not because she didn't like me, but
simply because she hadn't thought about it.
“It was a small situation.
“And I can't put the whole of my identity into the smallness of
this situation. Or any other for that matter.
“My pastor used a verse in his sermon recently that echoes these
same thoughts, ‘For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily
form, and you have been given fullness in Christ’ (Colossians 2:9-10).
“I have been given fullness. I am filled up by Christ. With
acceptance. With love. With all the fullness of an identity that can't be
shaken.
“I can place the wholeness of my identity in that reality ... and
see everything else as small in comparison.
“Dear Lord, I praise You for Your faithfulness to me in every
situation. I don't want to get hung up on the small things of this world.
Please help me to place the wholeness of my identity in who You are and the
everlasting acceptance that You provide. In Jesus' Name, Amen.”
Fullness. Completion. Nothing else needed.
Overflowing with the presence of the indwelling Spirit of God. Nothing more
needs to be said. Rest in being “complete IN HIM!”
Sharon Pearce, Director
Silent Voices International
355 K Street, Suite H
Chula Vista, CA 91911
619-422-0757
www.silentvoices.org
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