Have you ever gone into a situation sort of dreading it, not really understanding the complete purpose of it, with the attitude of “well, this isn't going to be fun, but let’s just do this and get it over with,” and then realize that the Lord actually ended up using the situation to teach you something really awesome and beautiful? It’s strange how that happens, but pretty great. I think part of it is just the Lord’s sense of humor saying, “Ha, told you so! You DID learn something from that, huh?” Yeah yeah yeah, you’re right again, God—you always are!
Recently I was put into a situation/event where I was surrounded by several non-Christians—I was completely dreading that event, because I knew that their lifestyle was different from mine, their beliefs were different from mine, and as a result, I’d be making some decisions that weren’t like the rest of theirs—you know, the not-so-popular decisions that Jesus told us we may be persecuted for. That’s the part I sort of dreaded. But as I faced those situations, I realized it actually drew me closer to God, because I became more reliant and dependent on him for guidance in the uncomfortable places and situations. It’s those places you fear the most where you can see the light of Christ shine greater than ever, those places where you have to just put it into the Lord's hands and trust He will do His part. It's a little scary at first, but He always does come through, even if it's not always in the way that we were expecting.
"If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you... yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name." 1 Peter 4:14-16
And in thinking about those uncomfortable situations I faced, I started to think about my comfortable life—my comfortable Christian friends, my comfortable little bubble where I’m happy and hunky dory and with a bunch of people who are in it with me together. And trust me, that community is SO important, because we are the body of Christ and united in the goal of pressing on towards the heavenly prize, but sometimes, to share the gospel of Christ, we actually need to go OUTSIDE of that comfort zone. It made me think, “Okay, how am I going outside of my comfort zone in Denver to share the love of Jesus with others?” And so I’ll leave the same question for you— how can you go outside of your comfort zone and share the love of Jesus in places that need it? Who can you be a light to? Let it shine! J
No comments:
Post a Comment