If you don’t understand who you truly are you’ll live with a deep sense of insecurity that will drive you to minimize others in efforts to validate yourself. This is why I want to talk to you about SYNCOPATION.
To validate and dignify others seems easy but is actually deeply complex. Once I heard a guy from Louisiana talking about how he went crabbing. He said something that really struck me and stuck with me now for many years. He said you have to catch more than one crab to get started otherwise a single crab will just crawl right out of the bucket. Once you get two or more crabs in the bucket they can’t get out because they just keep pulling each other down.
Too many times we are like these crabs. Instead of loving others enough to help them into a better place we are focused on trying to help ourselves. One very central reason why we become self-absorbed is because we don’t learn to love ourselves for who God made us to be. Once we can be at peace with ourselves we are far less likely to feel the need to medicate self-disappointment. You never have to destroy others to validate yourself.
Matt 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” NIV
We are told to love others as you love yourself. Do you love yourself?
Loving yourself is central and vital to loving others well.
You can’t really love someone if you don’t know them. Today I want to challenge you to know yourself and value what you learn about how God designed you. We all know what it is to know what others want us to be and even what we want to be. But do we know who God created us to be?
God used his creative energy to create you very specifically unique. God made you an original so don’t waste your life trying to be a copy of somebody else!
Eph 4:1 …I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling YOU HAVE RECEIVED… NIV
Eph 4:7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people… NIV
God’s call comes with uniquely significant gifts! Our lives are precisely equipped with the exact strengths and experiences our dreams require. We are custom built by God on purpose and so is everybody God is entrusting to our care.
Our deficiencies managed correctly drive us to discover the genius in the lives of others.
We must be careful not to use gifts in such a way that inspires others into mindset or conclusion that we are anointed and they could never be used mightily by God. God’s plan is we dignify others not glorify ourselves.
This is why the topic of syncopation is so important. Syncopation challenges the common grid with unconventional and unexpected elements. In Literature this is humor which takes you beyond the expected script introducing the element of surprise.
Syncopation in humor makes punch line of a joke funny. Faith and I were having lunch recently and she told me how delicious her ham sandwich was. I said, “winner, winner…ham sandwich.” We both laughed out loud as I reflected on why that seemed funny to us. It was syncopation.
God’s way of getting it all done is giving everybody a different passion producing differing perspectives. Lexi has taught me a lot about syncopation through her experience of discovering who God designed her to be over this past year. Here is a video she made to explain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbultyEVOqw
Charles Swindoll said, “Rabbits don't fly. Eagles don't swim. Ducks look funny trying to climb. Squirrels don't have feathers. Stop comparing. There's plenty of room in the forest.”
Growing in the knowledge of God will help you grow in the knowledge of God’s will for your life. With God mission is born from relationship.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Develop a plan for spiritual growth that fits you. DCLI can help you set your next level into motion.
DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR COMMUNITY GROUP LEADERS
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
LEADER’S NOTES: We’ve been addressing the deepest sense of insecurity that exists within humanity. Only God’s love can reach deeply enough into our souls to restore our lives. This is the place where we begin finding confidence and strength to love God and to love others as we love ourselves because we have learned to love ourselves.
THE POINT: We are more sinful and flawed than we care to believe. We are more accepted and loved than we can possibly imagine. God’s love unlocks our lives.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Share one unique talent you have. This can be serious or silly.
Matt 22:37-40Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” NIV
Loving yourself is central and vital to loving others well.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
2. Why is it difficult for most people to truly love themselves?
In a world where everybody is empowered to share their life’s greatest highlights it is easy to feel like our lives never measure up. The inability to appreciate, by definition, reduces value. When a house appreciates it increases in value.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
3. Take a few moments to go around the circle and ask people to share something they appreciate about each person in your group.
God uniquely designs each of us. The ability to reflect on the good things from God that exist within us helps us love ourselves.
1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. NIV
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
(If you have time at the end this is a great question to find out what God is speaking to your group overall.)
4. What is something God has been speaking to you or revealing in Scripture recently?
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Develop a plan for spiritual growth that fits you. DCLI can help you set your next level into motion.