The disciples were ready to rule the world. Command it. Jesus corrected them and said they were to be witnesses to another world, another reality, a better way that transcends the world they wanted to command.
In other words, the disciples were thinking really small while Jesus was inviting them to something much bigger than themselves, and bigger than their collective imaginations. Beyond politics. Beyond borders. Beyond skin tones and cultural identities. What they were given were the keys to a Kingdom that meant new life in spite of deadly circumstances not just for themselves, but literally for the entire world, forevermore.
I don’t really know what I have, it’s so familiar to me. I take so much of what God has done in my life for granted that I easily forget what changes have taken place. I forget where I’ve been, what’s been forgiven, and how transformational grace has been in my life.
I forget the incredible impact that claiming God as my Heavenly Father has had on my self-esteem and identity. I grew up with a good dad, but he was human. I was never abused. He always provided. But coming to grips with the fact that there is a God in heaven that loves me and calls me his child enabled me to let my father be human, and allowed me to grow beyond whatever baggage I had been holding onto.
There are people in Napa, in Napa County, in the USA, and on Planet Earth with whom I have been given the privilege to share this insight. An understanding that may radically alter their life for the better. People with good dads like mine. People with dad who made horrible choices. People who never knew their dad. I’ve been given the gift, the opportunity to be and share the good news that God is good, and loves His children as a wonderful father should.
I forget that the power of grace has had in my life, and the changes that this grace has made. I forget the guilt I carried, that weighed me down, that caused me to repeat mistakes. I forget that when I held on to my identity as a transgressor, it created a script that kept me in the same role for a long time. Unchanged. Shackled. Destined to be a repeat offender. I forget that when my stupidity finally caught up with me and I understood what was being offered me and embraced it fully, that I was free. I cannot forget the tears of sorrow at shed at that moment, which were intermixed with tears of joy at the experience of freedom and redemption. New life. New script yet to be written. Blank slate.
There are people in Napa, in Napa County, in the USA, and on Planet Earth that are stuck in scripts in a very repetitive plot that I have been given permission to help get unstuck. There are people who have a reservoir of tears of sorrow – and of potential joy – that will be released when I get to share with them what I know so well, what I take for granted.
I forget the incredible power that began surging as unlimited, pure energy when I first began experiencing the indwelling presence Holy Spirit. I am so used to it now that I take it for granted that I am not going on my own strength alone, that a constant presence carries me through tough times, assures me during times of insecurity, directs me, empowers me, speaks beyond me. I forget how incredible this is, and how impossible it is for me to doubt the presence and love of God – I might as well doubt the reality of the air I breathe.
There are people in Napa, in Napa County, in the USA, and on Planet Earth with whom I have been given the privilege to share the news that the very Spirit of God is right here to embrace. There are people who, when introduced to this new Friend, will be comforted in their sorrow, strengthened in their weariness, emboldened to move into health and wholeness.
I bet you suffer from the same forgetfulness as me. Do you realize what you have to share? Do you realize you are commissioned to share it – even expected to by God? You may be the difference between a person just getting through life versus experiencing a life they thought was only a dream. You get to do that. Are you doing that? What are you doing to be Jesus in this world that longs to know him? What will you do now that you know you should?
No comments:
Post a Comment