The More Godly Lindsey

Last night I started reading John Ortberg’s The Me I Want to Be. I am one chapter in…and already LOVING this book.

Ortberg began by answering questions I didn’t even know I had. (He’s that smart.)

For instance, I didn’t realize I was having a hard time discerning what a more Godly Lindsey looked like. (I know you probably all figured this out a long time ago. But give me a break, I’m a slow learner.)

And I was having a really hard time with this. Don’t get me wrong…I want to be holy. But I so don’t want to be “holier than thou.”

Somewhere along the way, I was led to believe that the more Godly Lindsey is anti-fun. She’s reserved, stuffy, and just plain grumpy. She doesn’t drink, would never smoke, and knows better than to let a sarcastic word slip out of her mouth. She never enjoys people, places, or things, because she is too preoccupied doing “God’s work.”

But Ortberg says, “As God helps you grow, you will change, but you will always be you. An acorn can grow into an oak tree, but it cannot become a rose bush. It can be a healthy oak or it can be a stunted oak – but it won’t be a shrub. You will always be you – a growing, healthy you or a languishing you – but God didn’t create you to be anybody else.”

He goes on to say, “When you flourish, you become more you. You become more that person God had in mind when thought you up. You don’t just become holier. You become you-ier. You will change: God wants you to become a “new creation.” But “new” doesn’t have to mean completely different; instead it’s like an old piece of furniture that gets restored to its intended beauty.”

Now that’s a picture of a more Godly me that I can get behind. A Linds-ier version of me.

What do you think a more Godly (enter your name here) looks like?

Oh, and stay tuned or read along. I am sure this book is going to provoke much more blog fodder.