You Are Made for More
Do you ever have those moments where you think to yourself, “There’s gotta be more than this?”
You’ve changed the fifth diaper of the day, clocked in for the thousandth time, or find yourself driving the same route from one daily destination to the next. And as your days and weeks and years begin to blur together, you wonder if this is really it, if this is all you’re cut out for.
If you’re anything like me, when you think about all of the details of your life, the daunting thoughts of death creep in. When I was in college, my fear of dying was at its all-time high. I remember during my senior year, I’d regularly have these memory lane kind of moments where I’d be lying in my bed with nothing but my thoughts. I’d stare at the stucco ceiling and would think about a series of seemingly random and boring details about my life, trying to recall the earliest memories I could muster.
Like the time I accidentally busted Don Andres’ lip on the playground.
Competitive cheer competitions.
School dances and friend’s parties where we had no business bumpin’ and grindin’ on boys.
Years and years and years of homework.
Going to prom twice.
And on to going to college at UC Riverside and right back to lying in bed in the apartment I shared with my best friend from high school.
There I was, in this unglamorous 2-bedroom apartment in Riverside, in the middle of the Inland Empire–a fast-growing county within Southern California. I’d think about how I’m living on the west coast, in one of 50 states, on one of the 7 continents, on the earth, which is one of many planets within one of innumerable galaxies. I’d think about the fact that I really have no control of when I go to sleep and when I wake up. In a moment, I could slip out of sleep and into eternity, an occurrance that would be completely out of my control.
In other words, I realized how small I am and how unfathomly big God is. And that scared me.
And it’s in the culmination of all these moments of smallness that I questioned the bigness of my life’s worth.
Does everything I’ve done and will do even matter?
If it does, who does it matter to? What’s the point?
And if it doesn’t, how would it even be possible for me to function through the day to day with peace, joy and hope if, in the end, it’s all for nothing?
Friend, even when the pieces of your life feel like an unsolvable mystery, when your struggles and pain seem like purposeless torment, when things are going so dang well or are hopelessly boring, your life still matters. Every single bit of who you are, where you’ve come from and all of the experiences you’ve carried with you mean something.
The same God who created those star-speckled galaxies, who holds planets spinning with perfect precision in the palm of his hand, who formed the earth’s lands and seas and living things, who spread his creativity across 7 continents divied up into countries, who empowered men to form 50 states with counties and cities; the One who gave you the car you’re driving in, the phone in your hand or the ceiling you’re staring at while listening to me speak: that’s the same God who sees you, and holds you and every single moment of your life as preciously valuable.
And to your heart-nagging questions over if there’s more to this life than struggles, to-do lists, pain, routines, schedules and appointments, he’d chuckle in compassion and would simply say, “yes.”
Even though my intention for this episode wasn’t really to talk about death, I do believe that how you view it has power over the life you live now. I believe you and I are meant to live lives that are crazy full of purpose, love, beauty and joy while at the same time, always having room for more.
Right now, I’m a stay at home mom. Most of my days are filled with passionate commands of “don’t touch that,” “come here,” “get down” and “you’re gonna be okay.” Tears and imaginary tea times are a normal part of life around here as we raise our spunky toddler. And while every day is different, every day is also kind of the same. There’s always something to be cooked, something to clean, something to pick up off of the floor, something to put back in its place.
I could easily complain. I could wallow with woes about how this isn’t what I imagined my life to be like at 28. I could drown in comparison by wishing I had someone else’s life. But instead, I choose to own the truth that I am made for more.
I am made for more than heaps of laundry, scattered toys and trips to the potty every 30 minutes. I am made for more than just sweeping and wiping and organizing. As a mom, I was made to cultivate a heart after God within my daughter, to raise her alongside her superman of a daddy to see that she becomes a woman of bravery, integrity, kindness and free-spirited fun. I am made to pour my heart + soul into creating things that help people understand and live in God’s wild love for them––through things like this podcast.
No matter what season of life you + I find ourselves in, we need to always remember we are made for more. More than comfortability. More than mediocrity. More than being average, fitting in or living like everyone else. More than mundane routines being our norm. All because we belong to a God who is more.
Because God is all-present, all-knowing and all-powerful, there is more to him that our little minds can even imagine. There’s always something new to discover about him. He’s infinitely creative, so much so that for those who are part of his family in Jesus, he’ll spend every day of eternity creating new things we’ve yet to see, hear and know. The hope of heaven rests on the belief that there’s more that heaven has to offer than what is here on this earth. And if God is always up to “making things new,” then that means he’s definitely into the more.
More isn’t about being discontent because you’re focused on what you don’t have. More is about being discontent with the way things are because you’re aware of what you do have.
It’s not about gaining material things. It’s about owning your life + taking personal responsibility to do your part to transform the world around you for the better.
When you believe you’re made for more, you start to see things like time, people, and work all as opportunities to be intentional + fruitful. Nothing is a waste. Your eyes become open to how you can be the solution to the problems around you. Your life will ooze with purpose and you’ll taste and see God’s power, love and goodness in the most unlikely of spaces.
You see, living with the conviction that you’re made for more is not about striving to gain more things that don’t matter; it’s about pursuing + accumulating more of the things that do.
More joy.
More love.
More fun.
More peace.
More authenticity.
More purpose.
Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and they may have it more abundantly.” That “abundantly” is the more ya’ll! Not the blah, whatever, or the so-so, but the mind-blowing wonder of God exceeding our expectations and making the impossible possible. We get the freedom and power to choose how full our lives can be by choosing to be intentional with how we live. And as a result, there’s blessings God wants to lavish on us that are superabundant in quantity and superior in quality.
Jesus also said that for those of us who put our faith in him, we’ll do the things he did, and will also do “greater things” because we’ll be empowered by his Spirit.
But friend, the overflow of abundance and greatness doesn’t just happen by chance. It has to be cultivated. It has to be sought after. There’s a part we have to play. Instead of just letting life happen, we can partner with God to live intentional, to use our giftings and influence to honor him and help meet the needs of others. The fullness and abundant life that God has for us is connected to our availability––our willingness to let God use us, anytime + anywhere!
This doesn’t mean life will be without challenges, comfortable or easy. But it does mean that we can have soul-deep satisfaction in God’s love and can walk with purpose no matter what our world looks like.
So no matter what role you’re in or the title you wear, your life and how you live it matters. Whether that’s as a mom or while selling firesprinklers, as a friend or while on a coffee run to Starbucks, your life will only be mundane if you refuse to let God use you. It will often feel pointless and you’ll keep wondering if your life matters as long as you allow your gifts and talents to remain dormant and collect dust. But the more you choose to let God use you for the building benefit of others, the things that once seemed boring will now give you a refreshing sense of purpose. The needs of the people that you’d normally overlook or shy away from would start to be met as you took the initiative to help them. And soon enough, you’ll find joy in the mundane and beauty in the boring.
So as you move throughout this week, I want you to get more out of your life. And that starts with being able to identify your gifts and strengths.
What are you good at? What do you love to do? And as you discover those things, ask God to give you opportunities for him to use you. Keep your eyes open for areas you can lend your strengths to, and when duty calls, answer! And in the in-between, choose to change your mind about the lack-luster moments of your life. Instead of focusing on the not-so-exciting things, think about the things you are called to cultivate in the positions God has placed you in.