Grander Vision living was the theme of our church service today. I have been so stirred as I have been teaching the series "just Walk Across the Room" by Bill Hybills. The message to leave all lesser priority's (wealth, security) to pursue people and to introduce them to Christ is always stirring to me. As part of an exercise was to think on what God had done in our lives, and to put it on paper, a 'before and after' so to speak. When I thought about my story I realized how far from God I was and how little I had to offer Jesus. I was blamer—I blamed all my failures, my poor decisions and choices on my difficult childhood. I took no responsibility for my actions. I had a deep-seated bitterness toward my parents for their divorce and dragging me through years of custody battles. The constant pressure to choose between them, the constant moving from state to state (16 before I was 14 years old) and my fathers remarriage fostered a deep seated anger. I processed all of my life through the lens offense. The festering bitterness of soul lead to all sort of destructive behaviors. Drug addiction, petty crime and debauchery. It was always someone else's fault. When Christ found me he revealed clearly that my life was the sum of the choices I made! I was responsible for the things I had done and the person I had become. I was deeply ashamed. Yet Jesus loved me and saw value in me.
I think that is the point we need to grasp, Jesus saw potential in us, and reached out when we had nothing to offer. He made searching for us a priority. Then he asks us to do likewise with our friends. Looking past their sort comings and extending friendship. It is something we can all do.
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