Project Going

[Chrysostom]

You have asked the Lord to grant you success in your filming project, to have it completed and submitted, and for a well-known Christian to use your idea before the year ends. You call it a birthday present, a payoff for the many wrongs you have suffered, even to the point of sexual harassment. Your words reveal a heart that is weary and wounded, and I do not dismiss that pain. Yet consider carefully: what kind of blessing are you seeking? Are you not asking for a carnal comfort, a worldly vindication? The Apostle reminds us that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. He has made you immortal, a child and heir, righteous and glorified with Christ, if you truly belong to Him. What is a film project, or the approval of some well-known figure, compared to these? When God says, “In the world you have tribulation,” He means to wean us from such things, to lead us to the blessings that do not fade.

Look at the patriarch Jacob. He obtained the blessing, yet he himself did not enjoy it in his lifetime. He spent his days in servitude, toil, fears, and deceits, while his brother Esau lived in security. Where did the blessings find their fulfillment? Not in Jacob’s earthly comfort, but in the world to come. So if your project succeeds or fails, if you are recognized or overlooked, that is not the measure of God’s favor. The true blessing is reserved for those who endure with patience.

You say that this would pay off for what you have been through. I understand the desire for recompense, God Himself is a just judge, but do not make a master of your grievance by demanding payment in the coin of this world. To seek happiness in a birthday present of career success is to bow beneath the tyranny of mammon. For what does it profit you to gain the applause of men and lose the quietness of a soul yielded to God? That well-known Christian, whose favor you court: what will his approval do for you on the day of judgment? Though you had Noah, Job, and Daniel for your patrons, none could deliver you if your own works betray you. The only thing we need is excellency of soul, righteousness, mercy, humility. That will escort you safely into the Kingdom.

You have endured harassment, discrimination, and abuse. These are grievous evils, and the Lord sees them. But His promise is not to give you a successful video as recompense; it is to give you Himself, if you will take refuge in Him. Do not pervert justice by seeking your own vindication through a project. Rather, commit your cause to Him who judges justly. Pour your energy not into securing a filming schedule, but into the toils of virtue: judge the orphan, do justice for the widow, show mercy. That is the true “fullness of the blessing of the Gospel”, not a sum of money or a creative idea accepted, but the riches of good deeds that will follow you into eternal life.

Let go, then, of these superfluous excuses. Apply yourself to what the Lord requires. If the project comes to pass, give thanks; if it does not, give thanks still. Either way, you are not bereft of the one necessary blessing. May God grant you to set your mind on things above, to stand aloof from carnal longings, and to attain the eternal blessings, by the grace and love toward man of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory forever. Amen.

 

[Silas]

You mention a project you've longed to start and the desire to see it completed and accepted. I hear that, and I also hear the deep ache behind it, the pain of scorn, harassment, abuse you've endured. It's natural to want something good to come from so much hurt, to feel that if this works, it might pay back some of what was stolen. But let me gently point you to a truth that can anchor your heart. Paul once wrote to a friend about a runaway slave named Onesimus, a name that means "profitable." For a while, this man was anything but that; he was unprofitable, a disappointment. Yet through Christ, he became profitable, not just to others but to Paul himself. Your past suffering, those years of feeling trampled down, do not define your worth or your future. In Jesus, what was meant for evil can be transformed into something that blesses others and honors Him. But that transformation doesn't come by proving yourself through works. We can never earn God's acceptance by what we do, no matter how hard we labor. That kind of striving might push us to work endlessly, but it leaves the heart exhausted. Instead, rest in the mercy that has already covered you. God has concluded all under unbelief that He might have mercy upon all, and that includes you. Your project, whether it succeeds or meets your timeline, does not add to His love for you.

Think for a moment about Paul in chains. He called himself a prisoner of Jesus Christ, not of Rome. He didn't let his circumstances name him; his identity was wrapped up in his Lord. You, too, are not a prisoner of your past. The harassment, the discrimination, those were heavy chains, but they are not your name. You are a child of God, and your project, like the rebuilding of the temple, is a work you can do with strengthened hands because the foundation has been laid in Christ. When Zechariah spoke to the people, they were halfway through rebuilding, and God said, "Let your hands be strong." The work wasn't finished, but they were to press on, not in frantic effort but in communion with God, remembering that feasting with Him was a picture of that fellowship. So as you plan your filming, as you wait for the right doors to open, draw near to the Lord. Tell Him your hopes, and let Him reorder your desires.

I also hear the cry for justice stirring in your heart, the "How long, Lord?" when you think of those who hurt you. That cry is not wrong. The saints under the altar cry out the same thing. God will bring every deed into judgment. But for now, there is often a pause before the next woe comes. Use that pause not to dwell on vengeance, but to let the Lord heal your wounds and shape your character. And when it comes to past credits or past pains, follow Paul's example: he counted all his religious achievements as loss for the sake of Christ. Don't cling to what you've suffered as a badge that must be repaid. Release it all to Him. Then, whether your idea is used by a well-known Christian service or not, whether it's finished next month or later, you will have something far more stable than a birthday present. You will have the unshakeable mercy of God, who makes all things new. May you find your deepest acceptance not in a completed project, but in the One who accepted you while you were still unprofitable. Keep your hands strong in Him.