I Wish I Was Mark Driscoll

I wish I was someone else.

I wish I could speak, or write.

I wish I could remember all those theological arguments.

I wish I was more hospitable.

I wish I wouldn’t get depressed.

And for me…well…I confess that I wish I was more like Mark Driscoll - great communicator, pastor, leader, has published some books, has 470k Twitter followers (as opposed to my 82!), influential, controversial and so on…

Ever think like that?

Ever look at a Christian who seems to have real purpose? A missionary doctor perhaps? A theologian? A pastor? Someone who works with the homeless most evenings? And so on.

And we wish we were just like them.

But comparisons with ‘someone else’ are dangerous. Why?

 

1) God made you, you

God could have made you to be born in another era, in another country, to another set of parents, with different gifts.

 

But he made you, well…you.

Your personality, your experiences, your heart-cry, your gifts, your family, your town, your job. These are not a mistake. God didn’t mess up when he made you; you can’t alter these things.

For example, He didn’t make me a talented communicator living in an American city. Ah ha, I say, but should I move to be a church planter in an American City? Well, it seems not.

And I simply need to ask God to help me believe that.

 

2) ‘Someone else’ has issues too

Most people we want to be like, we want to be like because they have a great life.

They don’t have to deal with my insecurities, my faults.

They probably get ‘success’ because they are a pretty sorted person.

But that just isn’t true. Lurking beneath the surface of each one of us we have issues. We don’t hear about them in most cases. But believe me, everyone does.

I’m not saying that disobedience doesn’t block opportunities – unfortunately it does. But we all start from the same position.

And were we to ‘make it big’, we wouldn’t necessarily be more satisfied anyway – there’s always someone else further up the chain than you.

 

3) You are significant

At the heart of our desire to be like someone else is a desire for significance – to be someone more influential, someone with a greater voice in our world.

I struggle with this.

In this corner of England, in Canterbury, I feel incredibly insignificant sometimes.

I want to affect the world! I have energy. I have education. I have the desire. Why am I still here? Why am I not leading a church of 15,000?

The problem is, I am looking to get my significance from achievement. When I am not achieving something I’ve decided I want to achieve (namely changing the world) I feel a real sense of deflation.

I feel insignificant.

I feel  a second class citizen in God’s Kingdom.

The root of this of course is pride - a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements. And yet the Bible commands us to humility

Philippians 2:3: Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.

 

This is the antidote to pride.

Because I can’t improve on God’s achievements in Jesus. God tells me, that before I do anything, I am significant in his eyes. It isn’t based on my popularity or global reach or numbers in my church.

Nothing I can do will make me any more significant, because Jesus has done it all.

Imitate others…

Examples are great. It is good to aspire to others. It helps us picture what sacrificial service looks like. It helps us see what a Christ-like person is actually like.

So yes, I can learn a lot from Mark Driscoll; I can even imitate him to some degree (and cause some controversy on the way more than likely).

…as they imitate Christ

 

But this is the key. Any imitation should be because ultimately, I wish I was more like Christ.

And I can leave the details up to Him.