I consider that the sufferings of
this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be
revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the
revealing of the children of God... -
Romans 8:18-19
I am
continually amazed at the unexpected people that God brings into my
life. Christ's light shines through them, and the testimony of the
Spirit permeates their character. Their presence fills my life with
Christ's love. I am deeply impacted by these women and men, whom I
never would have invited in on my own.
The
Holy Spirit reveals these surprising individuals to me at moments
when I have finally given up. As long as I am still striving to
create the Kingdom myself, I cannot receive the free gift of God's
children. When I am acting under my own power, I invariably pick the
people that I like the best, those who make me the most comfortable.
But the Lord picks his friends differently.
As one
pastor here in DC said to me recently, "we spend so much time
fly-fishing when the Lord is calling us to use a drag-net!"
Jesus commands us to welcome everyone into the Kingdom - not to build
a social club that reenforces our own biases and cliquish behavior.
The sad truth is, my own tendency is to throw a party for the people
that I have most in common with, but Jesus
calls me to throw the doors wide open and invite everyone -
including a lot of folks whose names would not have occurred to me.
The Kingdom of God is not about assembling the people we like best;
rather, it is about gathering together with those whom God loves.
Despite
my human tendency to stick with people who make me feel comfortable,
I am slowly learning to heed God's call to be part of a truly
inclusive community. When I am able to let go of my need to create
community in my own image, God unleashes the amazing power of the
hidden Kingdom, in which the very people that I have always
overlooked end up blessing my life. To my great astonishment, I find
that my own salvation is tied up in the lives of those around me -
whether they fit within my human criteria or not.
4 comments:
This is a fantastic post and a great reminder. What I really want to know is: how can I get the rest of those amazing photos you took?
Love this posting. Of course, it raises all sorts of questions for me about who you have found who is different from you and still their presence is a blessing. But that may be a discussion for a different day... Thanks for posting.
Friend speaks my mind!
Nice one Micah!
Post a Comment