Recieve the DEEPER Weekly Reading in your inbox.
As the coronavirus has slowly shut down the outside world to me, I have been noticing something about myself: I feel safe in normalcy. I strive for predictability. I am addicted to certainty and trust in what I feel like is control. I measure my emotional safety and okay-ness on how normal my day is going. Yikes.
Series: How to See in this Time of Need
I just got back from a trip to the Colorado Springs area of Colorado. It was beautiful spring weather displaying the full majesty of the front range of the Rocky Mountains. One of the things that fascinates me about this area is the wildfires. There are whole sides of mountains that have only dead trees sticking up like the backs of great porcupines arching into the sky. It is beautifully devastating. In fact, it is not only common to have sporadic wildfires in this area, it is essential to the health of the ecosystem.
Did you ever notice how Jesus meets people where they are at? Physically, he goes to where the woman at the well is, Zacheus, those who are blind, disabled and outcasts. The same with the Pharisees, teachers of the law, soldiers, leaders and more. He meets them where they are at physically, emotionally and cognitively. He sees them, hears them and asks questions before he starts to try and convince them of anything… in fact, we hardly see Jesus try to convince anyone of anything, ever. He simply notices (sees) a person and their needs and offers an invitation of meeting them there. Some say yes and some say no. Either way, there is a kind and true awareness of who he is interacting with.
I believe strongly that transformation is only done through training, not just trying or knowing, but actively DOING. When we realize we are in the training circle and God is training us through victories, failures and everything in between, it puts our lives in an understandable context. We can then become a willing participant in the growth.
“The imitation of Christ does not mean to live a life like Christ, but to live your life as authentically as Christ lived his…” (Henri Nouwen)
Are we really called to do all the things that Christ did in His life? Speak, heal, kick out demons, lead, rebel, sacrifice, love, and more? Yes, Jesus very clearly tells us we will do even more than he did (John 14:12-14)… but here is where we get stuck: How do we live this way? How do we actually do these things in our daily life?