WARNING: this is a deep, private look into my heart. This is part of the journey… traveling out loud.

Living by faith has two sides: overwhelming and underwhelming.

It is overwhelming when God pops out of “nowhere” and surprises you with a gift, a friendship, a new insight into Scripture, etc. You know He is there and His blessings lift you up and sustain you.

On the other hand, it can be underwhelming when you are wondering where God is.

It is underwhelming when you feel like you are totally doing what He has called you to do and yet you’re still struggling (see Psalm 73 for a Biblical example of this). The struggles can range from emotional to financial; from spiritual to relational. The bottom line is while your doing what you’ve been called to do the struggle is underway and it is underwhelming. You begin to think things like, “It’d be easier doing something else.”

Yea, this is kind of an ugly article, but it’s where we’ve all been and where I’ve cruised in and out of too.

Hey, today I found a couple of verses that have refined my focus and may add value to you when you feel underwhelmed…

Let me give you some context – St. Paul is in prison because of his choice to talk about Jesus in a culture that did not tolerate this message. His choice to TOTALLY obey God landed him in an underwhelming scenario… “I obeyed God and now I’m in prison.”

He’s writing a letter to his young friend/protege, Timothy…

“Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them. And athletes cannot win the prize unless they follow the rules. And hardworking farmers should be the first to enjoy the fruit of their labor.” (2 Timothy 2:3-6 NLT)

It occurs to me that there are three lessons for underwhelmed people here:

• Stay focused! Endure suffering and don’t get tied up with other things!

• Obey the rules! Deviating from God’s plan will keep you underwhelmed in the long run! Just do what He has called you to and keep doing it with rugged determination.

• Enjoy the results! For the follower of Christ who stays focused and and follows the Leader (Jesus) with dogged determination THERE WILL BE RESULTS! Will you… will I hang in there long enough to see the results we’ve been called to achieve?

And then Paul “hits it out of the park” with these words that I’ve read a hundred times but never been impacted like I was today…

“I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen.”

Bottom line… though at points in this journey I have felt underwhelmed, I am committed to doing whatever it takes to connect disconnected people to God.

How about you? What has God called you to do? Are you doing it? Are you feeling underwhelmed while you’re doing it?

If you’re not doing it… get to it!

If you’re doing it and feeling underwhelmed remember:

• Stay focused! Don’t get distracted! Keep your eyes on your Leader (Jesus)

• Obey the rules! Don’t call audibles for Jesus! Hear His voice through prayer and the Bible and follow His plan!

• Enjoy the results! They will come for those who endure!