Knowing Whose You Are Changes Everything
TIM TEBOW
“I have set the LORD / continually / before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Psalm 16:8 (NASB)
I remember that night /like it was yesterday.
I sat numbed, staring at a powered-off TV, replaying a conversation
//that aired /in real life /that morning.
One that sucker-punched me /to the
core.
“We’re letting you go,” said the coaches of the New England Patriots,
guys I admired and respected.
This wasn’t the first time I’d been cut.
It was the third time () I was told () I couldn’t do what I’d dreamed of doing
/since I was a little boy — play quarterback.
That night, I stared /into blank space /pleading with God,
“I thought () we had this. I thought () You had a plan /in mind! What’s the deal?”
I had no job. No car. No home. And I didn’t have a clue //what the future held.
*동격/형역
a clue = what the future held
I’m not saying () [getting cut multiple times from different NFL football
teams] is the end of the world
or the worst thing //that can happen to a
person, but it shook my identity /quite a bit.
And it definitely made me
wrestle with doubt /about God’s plan and purpose for my life.
You may or may not relate /to football, but I bet () there was a time, or
two, in your life //when you faced a storm
//that turned your world /upside
down. Maybe [a dream () you worked /so hard /to fulfill] flopped. Or your once
rock-solid marriage started crumbling. Or the cancer came back.
Or
[something () you were positive () God put on your heart to do] didn’t quite
turn out /the way () you expected.
I’ve learned that in these times of disappointment, failure or loss
we need to be grounded /in our identity in Jesus Christ. Sometimes we
cave /into cultural or societal pressure and allow the things of this
world /to define us — like what we look like, what kind of car is parked
in our garage, what title we hold at the office, how much money is in
our bank account,
our marriage, how well our kids are doing, how many
followers or likes we have /on social media.
But as Jesus followers, none of these things define us. If they did,
each one of us would be left /questioning our identity, because let’s be
real … the material stuff doesn’t last.
Looks fade. Financial situations change. Jobs come and go, friends and followers, too.
So who are we? Maybe the better question is, Whose are we?
We are children of God. We were created by Love,
in love and for love.
And because we belong to Him, we can endure even the toughest of times.
This is what our key verse, Psalm 16:8, tells us, “I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
When life throws us curve balls or shatters /into tiny bits /before our
eyes, it’s easy to doubt ourselves, God’s plan, even God Himself. But
when we’re hurt, disappointed or frustrated by the negative side of
thwarted plans, crushed dreams and painful losses, we can still hold on to God’s truth.
* hold on to; to hold something tightly or carefully so that you do not drop it or do not fall
We can set the Lord /continually /before us. We can choose over and
over [to trust God] and [believe () He’s still got a plan for our lives], even
when we don’t have a clue //what that is. We may feel shaken by emotions
and circumstances,
but we’ll always have Someone /to hold on to. Someone //
who will never, ever let us go.
When you know Whose you are, it changes everything.
Dear Jesus, Thank you that You are my Father and I am Your child.
Thank You that I am not defined by the world
or by others, but by You.
Remind me in times of doubt or confusion // that You have a plan and a
purpose for my life.
And that no matter what comes my way, my faith will
stand / because You will never let me go.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.