Enlarge Your Tent? Is this something we are really called to do? It all depends on what our vision of our tent is. If we look at our tent as our possessions, then no! We are not called to increase our possessions in a way that makes us focus on our material worth. Our possessions become our idol, even our god.
I just completed a Christian leadership course through Revelation Wellness® called Launch. It is for the Revelation Wellness® certified fitness instructors who want more, who want to learn how to be leader with Jesus Christ as our foundation. It begins with a vision, mission, and core values. These are undergirded with the pillars on which all of these rest. The first of these pillars is “God first. God only.”
“God first. God only.”
What does this mean? To put God first means growing close to God on a deep, intimate level. He knows all there is about us and loves us as we are. I do not think that we can fully understand or fully know God. God is above us in everyway and we are not able to fully comprehend Him. It excites me to know this. I believe the more we know God the more we will love God. Realizing there is always more to know, the more we will be drawn to God. We know with complete certainty that all that we learn about God is good, so very good. How can we not be excited about this opportunity?
But….
Enlarging our tent is not about us. It is about God. God first! The most important thing that Jesus’ disciples could do was to spend time with Him. They lived in His presence for three intense years. He taught. He blessed. He reprimanded. He guided. He blessed them when they were in His presence. That is what we are called to: grow close to Jesus.
Regardless of our finances, our talents, our gifts, our interests, our possessions, our age, our health, or any other label we or society may put on us, our number one goal has to be to spend time in His presence. We need to learn from the Teacher, first, foremost, and always.
God will not force himself into our lives, but He does relentlessly pursue us from a place of love! He wants us to know Him and love Him. We can love, because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19). When we open our hearts and let God in, learn from Him, allow ourselves to rest in Him, we are in His presence.
Our tent will enlarge. Our tent of influence, so that others may come to know God, enlarges. Do not hold back. Let yourself be His and you will be filled.
But wait! Aren’t I too Old to Enlarge My Tent?
I can hear the questions. Haven’t I missed out? Aren’t I too old? I haven’t “enlarged my tent” and I am xx years old. What can I do now? If that is what you are thinking, then I have to respectfully disagree. I am a firm believer that if we wake up for the day, then God is not finished with our earthly selves yet.
Moses, Abraham, Sarah, Noah, and others would not be household names if God has no use for the older among us. Did you know that Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the first Little House book at 65? Colonel Sanders founded KFC at 65? Grandma Moses became famous for her paintings at 78? Harriette Thompson ran her first marathon at 76 and was still running marathons at age 91 (not the same one. 😉 ? Yuchiro Miura who climbed Mt. Everest at 80?
These may seem like extreme or rare examples. Perhaps they are, but they are examples of individuals at older ages accomplishing great things. They are inspirational individuals who did not let society’s preconceived biases hold them back.
We are given gifts by our heavenly Father and they may shift over the years. How we can use them may shift with our abilities. However, we still are children of God with gifts and talents given by God for use with our families, our loved ones, and our communities. We can “enlarge our tent” and spread the love of God in greater and greater circles.