Who Says

Remember the game "Simon Says?"

It was another one of those simple games for kids where the leader would say, "Simon says," and everyone playing had to do what they said to do.

But you are only supposed to do it if Simon says.

"Simon says put your hands on your head." So you do it.

"Simon says touch your toes." So you do it.

Jump up and down. Busted. Simon didn't say to jump up and down.

I'm not sure who this Simon guy is or why he had such authority that everyone did what he said, but this game has stuck for centuries.

Good for you, Simon; your legend lives on.

Why am I bringing this up? Well, I'm glad you asked.

I was berating myself the other day because I wasn't doing everything I thought I should be doing.

The thought occurred to me, "Who's telling you you gotta do all that?"

Great question, inner spirit wisdom, great question.

I tend to pile expectations onto myself, aiming for what exactly, I'm not sure.

If I know myself, I'm probably aiming for perfection, maximum productivity, or total and complete adherence to God's will (which I still haven't gotten the specifics on).

As we begin our day filling our time with unrealistic expectations and too many things that overwhelm us, I have three questions for us to consider.

Who says?

Why?

What does God have to say?

Who is telling you that you have to do all that?

Is it the voice of inferiority telling you that you are not enough?

Who is telling you to say yes when you mean no?

Is it the voice of insecurity telling you that no one will like you if you don't comply with their wishes?

Who is telling you that everything must be okay for you to be okay?

Is it the voice of control telling you that it's your job to ensure everything and everyone lives up to your expectations?

Why?

Is it to prove yourself?

Is it to compete and win?

Is it to keep yourself safe?

Jeez. This game isn't as much fun as I remember.

Next question,

What does God have to say?

God says, come to me and rest in my arms, and I will lighten your load.

God says, love yourself and others as I have loved you without conditions, expectations, or demands.

God says you are a child of God and, therefore, deserve to be treated with kindness and respect.

God says to follow Him and learn His voice.

Whoa.

That last one hit me.

I get so confused sometimes.

I mean, didn't God tell me to work 100 hours a week so that I could use all my talents to prove myself worthy and make a difference?

How do we know what God is telling us so we can follow His instructions and not listen to what we think or what others think we should do?

Another great question.

I'm pretty sure there is no one answer to that.

But it's worth asking nonetheless.

If, like me, you find yourself following some Simon dude you don't even know, doing what he tells you to do without even thinking about it, you might want to pause and ask yourself some questions.

You might also want to spend some time, on your own, reading the Bible and getting to know God a bit more.

Our pastor did a sermon series a few months back on something called The Beatitudes found in the 5th chapter of the book of Matthew.

I felt like I got to know God a little more after studying that.

Jesus has a way of topsy-turvying the way the world looked at things.

We could use some topsy-turvy right now.

Check out these chapters in the Bible - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John and see if you can start to get to know what God sounds like.

His voice is loving truth; it is kind, ever-present, direct, empowering, encouraging, and disciplining.

Help us to hear your voice, God.

Help us know when You are talking.

Help us quiet the voices that distract or misguide us.

Help us to be wise to hear your voice and brave to follow where you lead.

Isaiah 6:8

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Hebrews 12: 1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Matthew 5 1-48

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

(refer to your Bible for the rest).