Friday, September 29, 2017

Cliffhanger



I have always been fascinated by this concept. It makes sense logically because the word became flesh and Jesus is still very much alive. But the reality that it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart with NO effort on our part, is pretty mind-blowing. But it doesn't end there. 


When we also consider that for as many verses there are in the Bible that many people can read them and be told something completely unique by God is incomprehensible. Same words + different people = unique results for His purpose. But it's still doesn't end there!

At any given point in time, we can read the same thing the Lord has already used in our lives and get something completely new. And somehow, even knowing this, we question His abilities to do things! Startling if you ask me.

Why all the fuss? Yesterday. Common verse + current situation = NEW understanding.

On my way to pick up the man-child from XC (cross-country for those of you who aren't familiar with this handy little abbreviation) practice, I am listening to K-LOVE and Scott, the afternoon DJ, is reading the verse of the day. 


At this point I do something I've never done in the car: I turn off the radio so that I can audibly talk this out with myself. And I realized something frightening pretty quickly: I don't know how this works. 

As I was talking to myself (hopefully looking more like I'm singing to anyone in a nearby car) it occurred to me that even though I am no longer denying my emotions or consciously trying to just cover them with Scripture in an effort to pull up my bootstraps and move along, I have always used Scripture and what I know to be true about God to comfort myself. But this verse says that God comforts us, not that we have to comfort ourselves.

Unfortunately what this means is if you never realized this either and are now scratching your head, this is about to feel like a pilot series tv-show that ends on a cliffhanger and isn't picked up for a second season, (#Missing with Ashley Judd a few years ago and yes, I am still bitter about it) because I don't have any clue how to let God comfort me. I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with the things I learned as I read The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp and the things I learned reading Abiding in Christ by Andrew Murray. Unfortunately it also means I didn't learn these things well enough that I don't have to go back through them, this time intentionality, to try and make heads or tails of this.

Thankfully I'm not so full of pride that I won't ask for your help! If you have thoughts on this, and are willing to share how God's comfort has manifested itself if your life, please either (a) leave a comment anonymously......if it's set up for a name, make one up.....use the name you always wish you had or (b) if you know me and are willing to share your thoughts personally, email me or send me a message on facebook. Maybe if we can figure this out, we'll be able to start fulfilling our calling to comfort others as we have been comforted.


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