You are not your circumstances

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"You are not your circumstances; you are a child of God." Colon Washburn impressed those words on many of our Convoy number. He knew those words to be true because he lived by them. In his last email to Paul Dubbell, Colon talked about "celebrating victories and surrendering setbacks." As he laid in bed in the final weeks of his life, he found a laundry list of things to be thankful for and reasons to praise his God. His prayer requests were for others, notably his wife as she took on the role of caretaker for him, the last chapter of what LeBron Tatum called "a love story for the ages."

As I look for ways to apply the examples gleaned from Colon's life, I think that's an important one to keep in mind. My final chapter has not been written. God has His reasons for leading me through the good times and the bad, and He is redeeming every bit of it. Take each part of the scripture above: Rejoice ALWAYS - find a reason to be joyful, even when you cannot muster the will be happy. Pray CONTINUALLY - how much time do I waste trying to control situations that are beyond my control or figure out things that are way above my pay grade? Leave 'em with someone who can actually do something about them. Give thanks in ALL circumstances - God is up to something, even when I can't yet see what it is. Will I trust His plan for my life?

If I can make a practice of living out those verses, it'll change my perspective. I will start to look at people, things, and situations in the context of eternity. That's when things start to get fun. When I am freed from the fear of tomorrow, I start to invest my time, talents, and treasure differently. It's why Colon would have died a wealthy man regardless of his finances.

And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”  -Luke 12:16-21

Blessings men! Practice being rich toward God this week.