There is Something You Can't Improve On.

Dear Good Shepherd and friends,

You are made in the image of God.

You can't really improve on that.

Yet, we try and try and try to make ourselves into something, as if being made in the image of God were not good enough. The wisdom teacher who wrote the book called Ecclesiastes called it "chasing after the wind." All our human striving is like trying to capture the wind or grasp a puff of smoke.

It's not that he thinks our human pursuits are pointless. He thinks that chasing after things in the effort to make our identity, to find meaning in life through acquiring and achieving, is a waste of time. None of it makes us who we are, none of it can improve on the claim that you and I are made in the image of God. And so also is the person you might see if you look up right now. At the end of the day, you and the person you see are absolutely no different. We're just really gullible at believing the differences based on the identities we have created.

The reality is that we forget who we are. Daily. We get pulled by the undertow of making something of ourselves to the point that we find ourselves struggling in an open sea with no place to rest. Sooner or later, we'll drown. And drowning doesn't necessarily look like failure. It looks like distance and lack of intimacy in our relationships, it looks like handing our kids over to culture and social media to educate them on how to live in this world, it looks like not having time to pay attention or listen to the people around us, it looks like not enjoying our days more than we enjoy them, it looks like always wanting to find "happiness."

When I'm content in my identity as made in the image of God, the stress and anxiety, the exhaustion of striving all goes away. I'm actually more free to live with purpose, joy, and peace because my contentment does not depend on my performance. "Happiness" is not somewhere out there to find. When I don't forget who I am, I actually do better at my pursuits, and in life as a whole, because I am mentally and emotionally open to experience and enjoying what I'm doing. And I find more joy in my relationships with others because they're not somehow "in the way" of me chasing my identity.

Remember who you are, friends. You are made in the image of God. You can't improve on that. Let it breathe joy, peace, and meaning into your lives.

Always seeking life,

Pastor Kyle

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