God has been dealing with me a lot lately about the practicality of faith and about what role our works have in faith. It's a tough subject to wrap your mind around and I think I still have more questions than answers, to be honest. Like I said in my last post, I have been reading Shane Claiborne's book Irresistable Revolution (it's a great book but don't read it unless you are ready for it to ruin your life...in a good way...ha). There are so many aspects of the book I could talk about but one of the things that has hit me the hardest about it is a particular passage:
"I remember hearing about an old comic strip...Two guys are talking to each other, and one of them says he has a question for God. He wants to ask why God allows all of this poverty and war and suffering to exist in the world And his friend says, 'Well, why don't you ask?' The fellow shakes his head and says he is scared. When his friend asks why, he mutters, 'I'm scared God will ask me the same question.' Over and over, when I ask God why all of these injustices are allowed to exist in the world, I can feel the Spirit whisper to me, 'You tell me why we allow this to happen. You are my body, my hands, my feet.'"
Wow...That really shifts the responsibility doesn't it? So I have been contemplating what it looks like for me to be the hands and feet of Jesus in my particular situation and place in life. This is a huge struggle for me because I constantly want to be DOING something big for God. I want to be doing whatever it is He has for me, making a tangible and visible difference, living out a dream that God has given me and that I am passionate about, especially when I see other people in my life living the fulfillment of that (like my friend Janine....check out more at www.nuruinternational.org). And yet I can't help but wonder whether God is looking back at my frustration and saying "But what are you doing NOW? You want to do something tangible, so do it!" I think this is a trap so many of us fall into...We are pursuing and loving Christ and yet it doesn't seem to translate into our actions and thus our impact because we are waiting for THE thing God has for us instead of looking for what we can do now and realizing that THE thing that we are looking for may look different in every stage of our life. Again, I am still trying to flush this all out and I don't have all the answers, but what I do now is that I don't want to be a stagnant Christian. I don't want to get so caught up in my own life that I don't see the injustice, the poverty, the problems around me. And I want to do more than just profess Christ...I want to live Him.
3 comments:
Just want you to know that I ALWAYS read your blog and I ALWAYS love and miss you. I still daydream about us all starting a kibbutz one day. You in or what??? I'm talking totally sold out here...growing our own food and designing Christian clothing...fair-trade coffee and Christian artists on a Saturday night at our little shop. I'm thinking a cool little town like Sewickley, PA only without the snow. Daydream on it and get back to me :)
Thank you for this post. I really needed it... we still need to chat! Maybe I will give you a call tonight.. LOL!!
Hey sweets. You are kind to mention me. I am privileged to be here now, but know that I had many of the same thoughts. These are good thoughts - I know you know that - even HERE even Living my Dream I am STILL asking God "how can I be your hands and feet" and what does that look like here? You're asking the right question, and what's even better is you're actually willing to hear the answer. When the answer is to be where you are, and be doing what you're doing, it seems strange. But know that that was my answer for many years. ;) I love you so much! remember this...our ministries will come and go, but it's our faithful following and relationship with God that is the most impt. If that's in line, all other things WILL be shown at the right time. I adore you by the way, and am thankful for your faith, prayers, support - they have all been a part of my journey to this place, and I know they are still a part of it! You're in my heart!
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