Created for a purpose

There are some moments that are so God-breathed you can feel His pleasure and goodness all around you … this was one of those times.

We spent the week sharing with four college students about the love of the Creator and why they were created.

Day 1: Who are you – discovering your gifts and talents God gave you. We did a “Chopped” style challenge to create works of art. Just as the chefs needed to use everything in their baskets, God also asks us to use everything we were created with.

Day 2 & 3: Dealing with disappointment – what happens when things don’t go the way you want? The movie “Soul Surfer” inspired us to continue to follow our dreams and use it for God’s glory no matter what happens.

Day 4: Shunde's Got Talent – celebrating our gifts. We enjoyed seeing “how fearfully and wonderfully made” each of us are!

Day 5: We were made for others – following the greatest commandment to love God and love others. Each group was given a mission to follow God’s leading on how to be a light to those around them.

And the winner is ...

There seems to be a measuring stick for everything. How good you are doing at school, how much weight you have lost, how much your investments have grown (or not) ...

But somehow there's not a fool-proof way to rate our success in China the same way that the world does. There's no percentage scale, numbers or letter grade that could accurately portray our time here.

At times the non-information makes me feel anxious. I wonder if I'm doing a good job? Am I doing enough? Have I shared the gospel enough? Did I do it well? Did I turn someone away from God? The doubts and questions can go on and on.

But, in God's lovingkindness He reminds me that what He's after is my obedience -- is my heart so fully submitted and abandoned to Him that that's the only thing that matters to me? It's in those moments that I need to step away from believing that the fate of the world depends on me, and remember that it rests on Him.

Whose measuring stick are you standing next to?