The past few weeks have really checked the posture of my heart and challenged me to continue becoming better. There is a call on my life to help people come to Christ. Many call it an "Evangelist"...I simply call it "loving to help people change" because I try not to get caught up on titles. There is no greater joy for me but to see someone surrender their life to Christ. The flip side to helping people is that everyone may not be ready for change at the moment. Those of you who may have this same calling, may have also experienced a great deal of rejection, pain and many other things that come along with trying to help people change. It can take years for someone to arrive to the place that God want them to get to and you have to have the patience while people go through their process.
When your life is not your own and you are truly submitted to the father, you will be called to go where you don't want to go, called to reconcile with those who may have hurt you, called to humble yourself in times where you want the permission to sit in your hurt or frustration. There are times when I was like...."LORD, GET SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT!" When I get like this, what I love about God is that he allows me the space to have my moments but when I am done crying, complaining and everything in-between...I am expected to get up with a "Nevertheless" on my lips. I am reminded of the scripture in Matthew 26:39 in the New Living Translation where Jesus said, "He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
What I have realized over the years is that it is easy to say that you are submitted to the will of God but when the test come, will you pass? Will you freely forgive those who you vowed to never speak with again? Will you apologize to those that YOU hurt as well? Will you follow the calling that God have placed on your life regardless of how you feel? Jesus demonstrated this when God did not let the cup of suffering be passed from him. He was placed here on earth to die for us, even though there was a point in his life where he asked God to remove him from that assignment. If Jesus was not removed from his assignment, I am inclined to asked myself, "Who am I?" The nerve of me to get frustrated with my assignment when Jesus, the one who did not sin and was still talked about, beat, and everything under the sun, fulfilled his assignment until the end without complaining. When Jesus prayed, it showed us the human side of it all.
God challenged me one day and put this on my heart, "Those that may have hurt, rejected, and even talked about you is entitled to the same grace that you ask for when you mess up". Whew! I was humbled instantly. I had to be quickly reminded that Jesus didn't just die for me. Instead, he died for all humanity. God also reminded me that he has called me to be an example. There are people who may have lost faith in the church and need to see examples of Christians who simply care about their soul salvation and nothing else. Some people need someone who is ready and willing to get in the ring with them and love them flaws and all as Christ loves the church. But how can I effectively help if I allow unforgiveness, bitterness or my, "Get someone else to do it, attitude'? It is simple, I can't help anyone with that heart posture.
I had to repent and have a Jesus moment and tell God, "Nevertheless, your will not mine". For the rest of my life, I will have to give God a yes. It is not a one-time thing. We will always have moments that challenge us to do something we may not want to do but does that mean you are free from your assignment....no! That simply mean that it is time for a "nevertheless" moment. The moral of the story is, "To whom much is given, much is required". God cares about our grievances, but obedience has always been better than sacrifice.
As I grow in Christ, the more I have to "die" to my flesh and submit my will for God's will for my life. God will use many things to grow us up and relationships with people can be one of the many ways that God will use to expose areas in our life that we need to work on. Many years ago, I remember telling my life coach that I didn't want to be hurt. She told me in the humblest way she could, "If you don't want to be hurt, you don't want to live. Being hurt is part of the human experience and sometimes the thing that may hurt us the most is the very thing that God can use to teach us something". As hard as it was to receive in that moment, she was right. If I expected to live this life free from pain, I was setting myself up for failure. It was a good eye opener for sure. The reality check that I needed.
Prayer:
Lord, I thank you for always guiding us into all truth, even when the truth is uncomfortable sometimes. Help us to lean into the correction and never shy away from it. Thank you for exposing the areas that we need to work on. Give us the strength to go through each assignment. May we never forget to give out the same grace to others, that you have given us! We know that pain is inevitable but help us to remember the lessons through everything that we go through. In Jesus Name. Amen.
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