Be yourself

Something a bit different today – a passage straight from Ezra 3, followed by some thoughts arising from it.

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem. Then Joshua son of Jozadak and his fellow priests and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and his associates began to build the altar of the God of Israel to sacrifice burnt offerings on it, in accordance with what is written in the Law of Moses the man of God. 3 Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices. 4 Then in accordance with what is written, they celebrated the Festival of Tabernacles with the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day. 5 After that, they presented the regular burnt offerings, the New Moon sacrifices and the sacrifices for all the appointed sacred festivals of the Lord, as well as those brought as freewill offerings to the Lord. 6 On the first day of the seventh month they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.  Ezra 3:1-6

1. ‘When the seventh month came…..’ Resettling takes time. Restoration and reconciliation take time. There’s no rush. It’s all about trajectory, intent, where you’re heading.
2. ‘When the Israelites had settled in their towns….’ Focussing on the home and family is important. Feeling settled. Settling everyone in. Giving the home and family the attention they need. Only then can you turn your attentions outwards.
3. ‘Then the people assembled together as one’ Assembling as one. Coming together as one. The people have been scattered across Babylon in exile. They’ve faced some awful experiences along the way. They’re battered and defeated. They’ve lost their identity. Unity is alien to them at this stage and yet it is the key to restoration.
4. ‘in accordance with what is written’ They go back to what is written. Back to basics. They’ve strayed so far from God’s truth that they have lost track of what it looks like. The only way is to go back to the word of God.
5. ‘written in the Law of Moses the man of God’ Moses. The man of God. The one to be trusted and listened to. This man who had delivered them from exile once could now speak across the generations to inspire this new group of returning exiles.
6. ‘Despite their fear of the peoples around them….’ They have good reason to fear the people around them. Everyone will be watching. Everyone knows the compromises the people of God have made over the centuries. How are they possibly going to right the wrongs without offending the peoples around them?
7. ‘the required number of burnt offerings prescribed for each day’ They do it right. They do it wholeheartedly. They don’t try to cut corners. If this is worth doing at all, it’s worth getting it right.
8. ‘they began to offer burnt offerings to the Lord, though the foundation of the Lord’s temple had not yet been laid.’ They don’t wait longer than they have to to start worshipping God. They don’t need a building. They don’t need a roof over their heads. Building a temple will take years. Worshipping God can start now.

And the one I want to leave you with today? Number six, of course.

‘Despite their fear of the peoples around them….’

How often has fear of what other people think stopped us from doing the right thing? Or made us get involved in something we shouldn’t? Or stopped us from doing what we yearn to do? Peer pressure is real. Not just for kids and teenagers. It’s very real for us adults too.

How true is that, even if it was David Icke that said it?

We get held back from doing amazing, exciting things every single day because of this fear. The fear of what people will say. What people will think. How people will react.

We adjust our lives every single day to try to fit in with other people’s expectations of us.

It’s the main block to creativity, I think. Well, it has been for me. The paralysis that comes with what other people will think about me. Judging me for wasting all that time on self-indulgent writing that serves no purpose. I could be spending that time doing something useful. And who do I think I am anyway? What makes me think I have something to say that anyone actually wants to hear?

Never let the fear of what others think of you stop you from being yourself.

Because what kind of tragedy would that be? How sad would it be if none of us could be the wonderfully individual, creative, quirky, individuals with our own unique mix of emotions and strengths and flaws that God created us to be? How sad if we never felt able to bring our unique contribution to the world? How sad if we held back from doing what God was calling us to do because of this fear?

It’s hard, I know. And sometimes there is a lot to lose. It’s a big risk, being yourself. No one wants to face rejection or judgement. Or persecution or mocking. But think of what you have to lose. Yourself. You lose yourself.

The world needs you. And me. Each one of us. As God created us to be. Not as someone else or a school or a church or an institution want us to be.

Ditch the fear. Be you.