Your Story is About God
It's been a powerful week being reminded that it's not about us. It's about showing the glory of God in all we do, like a frame. And to close I want to go to chapter 9 of Lucado’s book It’s Not About Me where he says, “My message is about him”.
Lucado's Lesson: Don't Obscure the Masterpiece
In it he tells the story of a young guide in an art museum whose job description was to lead people to the paintings in the museum, answer their questions and then step out of the way. And initially, he succeeded. He would walk the clients to the frames, identify the artists, and then step out of view: “This is a Monet” he would say, and then move back so that people could have a look and ask a few questions. And then he'd go to the next masterpiece and say, “Well, this is a work of Rembrandt” and then step back as they would lean in and look at the piece of art. And he did it well for a while, but soon he started to forget what he was supposed to be doing, and he began thinking that people had come to see him. And so rather than step away from the work of art, he would linger near it. And he would comment as they ooh’d and aah’d. He would say, “Glad you like it!” and lift his chest proudly, sometimes even saying “Thank you” - taking credit for the work that he didn't do. And sure enough, lingering near the painting wasn't enough for him. But little by little, he would inch closer towards the paintings and eventually he stopped moving out of the way at all. And people could see him but not the art and the very work he was sent to reveal he was concealing! Until the superior intervened and said, “This job isn't about you. Don't obscure the masterpiece!”
Lucado says “how many times has the master had to remind me that I'm called to display what I've begun to eclipse?” He talks about how the first time he shared his story at a youth meeting, people came up and said to him, “That was great. That moved me”, and his chest lifted he said, he kind of shifted in the direction of the painting and God has been nudging him back ever since.
Shift the Spotlight: It's Not About You, It's About God
g God with Our Bodies How about you, friends? Are you putting yourself in the place of the one who deserves the glory? Are you moving yourself into the spotlight instead of backing away and showing people God?
Even if you tell your story of how He saved you and how He has moved in your life - friends, don't make it about you. Yes, use your story, but make it about God. Let Him be the focus. Gallery guides don't deserve applause for the great art that they're showing forth. And children of God don't need applause for showing forth the glory of God. We are just His messengers.
It's not about you friends. It's about God. And I encourage you to go and find Max Lucado’s book. It's not about me. I've just shared briefly from it this week, but reading it in detail, you will find great blessing as I did.
