The "Good Girl" Syndrome

As most of you are probably aware, I am somewhat of a nerd and I really love words. The definition for stagnant is very interesting to me. In Merriam Webster's Dictionary, there are three:

1. not flowing in a current or stream

2. stale

3. not advancing or developing

From this definition, it would seem logical to deduce that if we are not advancing or developing, then we are equal to the nasty, filth-infested water that we sometimes see in an old cow pond or other similar source where there is no "current or stream".



James 4:17

"Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."



We all know the parable of the talents and the fate of the one talent man who buried his talent in the dirt to return to his master in the same condition he received it. This was not pleasing to the master. Now this servant didn't do anything BAD with the talent; he didn't steal it or use it for evil enterprises. He simply did nothing. And that was sin.



If I want to please God, therefore, I cannot simply be a "good girl" by the standards of the world. Keep myself away from the bad guys and live in my little bubble of goodness. James has some more wisdom for us in 1:27, when he says that yes, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this.....to keep himself unspotted from the world." Oh but BEFORE that phrase about being unspotted is "to visit the fatherless and the widows in their affliction". My job as a Christian is not simply to refrain from doing bad things. It is also, to DO GOOD THINGS, to be like that current that continues to advance and develop, so that God might be praised and the gospel might be furthered. Today the world tries to tell us that we need to do what feels good and natural, and not to push ourselves in ways that make us uncomfortable. This is not what God says!



Philippians 3:13-14

"Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

"The Vocation Wherewith Ye Are Called"

We have all probably read the first two verses of Ephesians 4 many times. It is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, so I thought that I would share some of my studies on what my vocation is.

Ephesians 4:1-2
"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love"

It is apparent how we are to walk in our "vocations": worthily, humbly, meekly, patiently, lovingly. But WHAT IS MY VOCATION? There are so many opinions out there in the world coming at us from all sides as young people, telling us who we need to be in order to matter in the world, and what sort of vocation (aka paying job) we should pursue in order to be "successful". So, what is the truth? What does God say about a Christian's vocation?

First, I want to take a step backwards and look at the meaning of the word. According to the Greek definition in Strongs (#2821:klesis), vocation means "calling, station in life". Vines Dictionary expands this a little further to state, "to be called by a name or to bear a name. Thus it suggests either vocation or destination". If our vocation is our calling from God and also the name that we bear, this indicates to me that our true "vocation" has very little to do with how we earn our living and everything to do with how we wear the name of Christian. Do we walk worthy of that name?

1 Corinthians 1:26-29
"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."

If we choose to walk in the vocation that God has chosen for us instead of the one the world would choose, there will be so many times that people will try to make us feel foolish, weak, base and despised. But good news: that's the type of person God usually calls, so that means we're probably on the right track! There is no reason to be ashamed of this, but remember that, like Paul, we must "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:14). There is NO higher calling than that of a servant of Christ!

I know you've already read a lot about contentment on our blog here, but I think it's interesting to note another verse that addresses our calling in Christ and how we shouldn't be envious of another's calling or resent our station in life.

1 Corinthians 7:17
"But as God hath distributed to every man, as the Lord hath called every one, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all churches."

We are all given certain gifts and talents from God that are to be used to glorify Him through our lives. Even if you feel as if you do not have anything special to offer, look at these verses! "God hath distributed to EVERY man"...."God hath chosen the weak things of the world". It doesn't matter if we amount to anything in the world's eyes, because God does not look at us like man does. He's not impressed with how much money is in our bank account, what kind of car we drive or how powerful of a crowd we hang out with, what matters to Him is that we walk worthy of our TRUE vocation and bring Him glory by being the true definition of a Christian: Christ-like.