Sight is a function of the eyes, but vision is the function of the heart.
Myles Munroe
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If you don’t choose the life that you want, someone else will choose the life that you’ll live. If you are passive about your life, you’ll suffer the life that someone chooses for you. If the faith you have is only in word and not in action, everything that you are doing in regards to that faith is fruitful for your salvation, but meaningless for your life here on earth. And it’s not supposed to be like that.
One needs conviction. Resurrection Sunday, as the scriptures were read, and the story of Jesus was being shared, there was one scripture that was a comfort for me in a season where I was questioning the value of serving God: for the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame… Hebrews12:2. I remember hearing in my heart to learn to despise shame. And in order to do that, you have to have something to hang on to. Believing for. Something that will keep you going despite what is said, and done and how you feel. For the joy set before you, you have to hang on.
You know, one can know the word, or know a fact, but there’s no conviction with it. There’s no certainty; one is not persuaded. There’s no confidence. I find myself wondering why I do what I do these days, because it’s either all this commitment is meaningless, or this is valuable, and it is real. And I realize that if one does not have their own desire, expectation, hope, or dream, another’s expectation, hope or dream will take over. You won’t have a compass of where you’re going. There’s no trace of yourself in the destination one chooses, because everything is influenced by this thing, this person, this circumstance. You’re not convinced about what you want, and you give up on it because you’re not convinced of its value.
You need conviction to stand for what you believe, and for what you want. You need that conviction to carry you through the trial and tribulation that will come because of the stance that you have taken. You have to see the joy of the thing set before you, that’ll allow you to dig in your heels and weather the storm. But you have to be fully convinced. It’s not for someone else to be convinced on your behalf. It’s not a group project.
If you’re not convinced, you won’t have the joy that is set before you. If you lack conviction, you’ll be trapped with whatever you’re offered. If you don’t know what you want, if you don’t believe for what you want, you’ll live a life that other people decide for you. If you don’t endure your cross, despising its shame, you’ll lay it down and pick up a greater hardship that’ll leave you in regret.
Decide what you want. Pray about it. And stand on it until you see it come to pass.
