It’s July.
Already.
That means half the months in the year are done. That means we’re into the last months of the year.
Already.
More than I have previously, I’m considering what’s happened so far this year and considering what the next steps are.
It has been a very interesting first part of the year.It was an odd turn of the year, to be fair. A number of things had been going along smoothly towards the end of 2013. As the year ended at 2014 began there were some distinct feelings of disruption. There were some great things in that as well. I had an opportunity to speak at a few places and enjoyed those occasions. I managed to help a few folks with some writing things and that felt great. I am a part of a group of people committed to improving an important area of Christian life and that’s challenging with the glimpses of great reward in that.
Things were not right, though. What I’m learning again, however, is to read the signs, take the hint and help myself out or else others will help me out and the help won’t always be pleasant. That unpleasantness is still with me at present.
This journey has been interesting and it has been very easy to see the worst and settle into a slump. Thankfully factors like three beautiful daughters and a determined beautiful wife don’t allow pity-parties to last long. More importantly, God has a happy knack of helping me to see things from another perspective, whether through friends of through writings and studies. Hence the title of this post.
I’m not on about being paranoid thinking that someone is after you. It’s just a recognition that choosing to follow Jesus is choosing to follow a path that instructs you to live a life that puts you at odds with the world around you. You’re meant to love those in the world. You’re meant to be moved with compassion for those around you. You’re meant to move in the Spirit to be salt and light in the world. You’re meant to do all this knowing the salt that should bring out the flavour and preserve the goodness and the light that illuminates His goodness and glory unsettles the status quo.
The deal is that the status quo isn’t always personal and physically obvious. It just tends to make itself known in that way sometimes, but it’s a lot deeper than that, and getting caught up in the personal and physical will be a waste of energy. It is just good to come to terms with that reality. You follow Jesus, you love Him and His Kingdom, you pursue that in every day life, you are a threat.
It occurred to me getting towards the end of the Say What You See series last month, that the world Jesus is coming to consummate, the kind of Kingdom He expects us to pray for to be on earth as it is in heaven seriously threatens what’s already here. It threatens it because some are used to it, some subscribe to it, and some are concerned that if things changed maybe their identity and perception of power would be taken away.
It’s not unusual then for some unpleasantness to happen. It’s there to suggest you ease up on the following business. It’s there to suggest maybe you need to do something else with your time. Perhaps you were better off just seeing what everyone else does and doing that, not seeing what some guy who died two thousand years ago did, and follow that.
It’s a convincing argument … for a while. then you get a glimpse of who He is and what He sees … just a glimpse … and …
For this time, at this moment, writing these words, I’m content confessing my frailties to God. Content expressing my frustrations to God. Content showing my perceived failings and disappointments. Content casting all my cares on Him because He cares for me.
As well as confessing these I am content confessing He is Lord. Content praising His holy name and beautiful majesty. Content thanking Him for the good things He continues to supply me with as well as the new stuff that blows my mind. Content considering carefully how His blessings, mercy and grace enable me to wake up and breathe and take the wonderful journey of following Him.
I am a threat as long as I am His child. There is nothing else I’d rather be.
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
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