Play with Fire - Day 1
Bianca Juarez Olthoff
God isn’t waiting for you to have more resources, a spouse, or a job so he can use you.
He’s ready to use you now.
In this track, we will take excerpts from Bianca Juarez’s new book, Play with Fire.
Through this 4-day track brought to us by the Catalyst App, we will expose and address a condition all too familiar to all of us – our constant desire to try and transform our own lives. Whether that happens at work, in ministry, with those you lead, or with your family, there is some area that we just don’t like surrendering control of.
But as Bianca’s own personal story will show, doing so prevents us from ever really being satisfied.
Find out what that area is and learn how to let God handle those things instead. In the process of doing so, complete the challenges at the end of each day for and connect with us on the Catalyst App a chance to receive a copy of Play With Fire. There are 5 copies available.
Are you ready?
DAY 1: Reinvention
I decided to treat the year I started college as a time for reinvention. For me, this meant shedding both weight and shame. While things had significantly improved for me academically, I still struggled with weight, worth, and an exhausting desire to fit in. Leaving home was my chance, I thought, and I worked tirelessly to sever all connection to my childhood life. I ritually reminded myself that no one on campus knew I was once an illiterate child who shared a bedroom with my twin sister and snuck food into closets when no one was looking. No one I met knew I was poor or made fun of me because of where I lived or the color of my skin.
I ignored the memory of my first reinvention, my God-given metamorphosis at the tender age of eleven, and went on to pursue my own selfish attempt at transformation. I was determined to appear utterly flawless. From color-coding and rewriting my notes to attending study groups and creating note cards, I was obsessed with my academic performance. I would have done almost anything to earn an A. And my maniacal behavior didn’t stop there. I became obsessed with dieting and achieving an elusive number on the scale. I fixated on controlling every aspect of my life, and believed it was up to me to ensure I would never be made fun of again.
My work was excellent, my professors loved me, and my scholarships kept coming in. I, I, I. My, my, my. Me, me, me. I was the captain of my ship, the driver of the vehicle I called destiny, the god of my own life.
But my heart knew it was a ruse. The accolades, accomplishments, and affirmation did nothing for my soul. My achievements never satisfied me, never made me feel like I was enough, like I had purpose, or like I mattered.
I invited God on the journey I mapped out, rather than waiting for Him to tell me where to go. As the Yiddish adage states, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” What the saying fails to include is this: “If you tell God your plans, He might just disrupt them and send you into the desert.”
Challenge: Take a moment to do an evaluation of the things in your life you take a lot of pride in. Then, for each of those things, ask yourself … “have I invited God on the journey I mapped out, or am I waiting for Him to tell me where to go?”
*Each completed challenge on the Catalyst App allows you to enter in for a chance to win a FREE copy of 'Play with Fire'.*
Download the Catalyst App now.
Bianca Juarez Olthoff is a writer, teacher, and chief storyteller for the A21 Campaign. She is passionate about God’s word and teaches around the globe as well as blogs about life, love and the pursuit of Jesus.
Discover more from Bianca Juarez Olthoff:
Play with Fire Track: DAY TWO / DAY THREE / DAY FOUR
Listen Now: Episode 383: Leading Up // Bianca Juarez Olthoff
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