Mike Signorelli Instagram – I’m part of the last generation that had a childhood free of the internet, roaming freely through urbanized Indiana. My mother expected me home before dark, and that was it. This kind of childhood seems alien today. But it worked. Life wasn’t always as complicated as it is now.
Today, we are bombarded with messages promising wealth and fulfillment with a few clicks, leading to confusion and paralysis. As the number of voices in our lives increases, so does the chaos, making it difficult to commit to the singular aim of our existence in Christ.
As a child, I was fed empowering messages, convinced that all I had to do was take my vitamins and say my prayers to achieve life’s accomplishments. By my twenties, I had achieved the “American dream”, but soon after, I experienced an intense emotional and mental breakdown. Secular humanism drove me to transcend my childhood poverty, but this belief also led to a descent into madness as I realized that human efforts alone couldn’t fulfill me.
Raised in a Christian home, I believed Jesus’ role was to empower my humanistic efforts. This faith in self led to a chaotic life, standing amid achievements that didn’t fulfill me. The failure wasn’t a lack of effort but accomplishing the wrong things for the wrong reasons. Many people, like me, chased status and achievements, only to starve their souls and come up empty.
I spent much of my life striving for what the cross of Christ had already won. My identity was determined by Christ, a gift to be received, not a reward to be earned.
In diagnosing my chaos, I realized I wasn’t working for Jesus; I was trying to make Him work for me. True identity comes from God, not from our jobs or achievements. Socrates said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” However, no amount of self-examination gives purpose. It requires encountering God and shedding old mentalities, pain, and the expectations of others to walk in God’s approval.
This is your sign to stop striving and give everything to Jesus! | Posted on 10/Jun/2024 15:38:30
