What defines you?

Life can be a very defining event, well it isn't an event really.  Many people search their life for definition or to be defined by what others think of them.  We strive to be people pleasures, myself including, but once we do please people we don't feel the satisfaction anymore.  We attempt to interconnect ourselves socially and develop ways to engage via social media, despite it making us less social.  We define ourselves by our likes, dislikes, statuses and tweets.  We try to attain success, accumulate wealth and buy shiny toys, not that it is wrong to pursue these.  We even try to let our marriages define us.

Why do we chase after all of these to define us?
Because we want to feel loved

What then should define us?
God

Every day I face an uphill battle and challenge not to pursue something other than Jesus.  Distractions arise and take over, keep me from following completely.  Here is a verse that keeps me in check:

"I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" - Philippians 3:14

"Don't Give Up, Don't Ever Give Up." - Jimmy V

Last night ESPN aired a documentary on the 1983 Men's Basketball National Champion's, North Carolina State University Wolfpack.  The story of a team who was able to beat an awesome University of Houston who had two future NBA stars Olajuwon and Drexler.  However the story did not end there, it included a coach named Jim Valvano.  I love the story of Jimmy V, because he was a dreamer.  His attitude was about fighting until the very end, even when cancer took his life.

One of my favorite stories about Jimmy V was about how he would bring the team together to practice cutting the nets down.  He envisioned them winning a national title and the only way to promote the dream was to practice winning.  Something about Coach Valvano's unorthodox methods reminded me that we have to keep dreaming, because when we stop dreaming, we let the dream die. 

I leave you here with Jimmy V's ESPY speech, let these touching words keep your dreams alive.

No Power Can Stand Against Him

11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18  to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” 19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. 20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. 21 And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

Well I was sitting around thinking about the Glory of God.  That no one can stand against Him, not even evil.  Revelation 19 shows us that God won the final battle, sin has no dominion against us. So what is going on in our lives that is keeping us from tapping into this? Well maybe we have not turned the reigns of our life over to God.  I believe that when we do this, we have the power through God to overcome, anything.  No it may not always be an easy route, but God will walk beside us through it all.

Sometimes we just need to let God take control and see how our lives change.