Thursday, November 28, 2013

Brave Enough, Dependent Enough, Weak Enough


Almost universally, followers of Christ admit that they experienced the most spiritual growth during times of difficulty.  I know that this is certainly true in my own journey.  The times when we are having to bear the most burden is frequently when we are most willing to rely on God to support us (the saying that "God won't give you more than you can handle" is not in the Bible!).  There seems to be a point in time  during trials that we quite literally "take our hands off the wheel" and ask God to take over.

In my own experience, that inflection point is almost like a revelation, or a reminder from God, that I was never intended to bear the weight of this world. When I am open to the idea of letting him navigate, I always experience a spiritual pat on the back that serves to reinforce what ends up being a very liberating and beneficial move on my part.  As we see the spirit of God help us work through times of trouble, our faith in him grows exponentially.

To get to the inflection point where I grow closer to God, I have to finally admit and embrace my own weakness.  That, my friends, has never been an easy task for me.  My personal history, maleness, and our western culture have always reinforced my natural desire to be extremely self-reliant (being self-reliant is different than being self-responsible which is merely being a good steward of God's gifts and using them within the framework of his will for us - more on that later).  So, I have to finally admit my inability to fully bear a burden asking God to share my yoke which he promises to do.  It is important to note that to share the yoke of God means, not only that he will bear the weight of the burden, but that I have to also be willing to go where He steers me: to learn from the situation, to allow the spiritual growth that occurs, to be dependent upon him.

There is bravery associated with admitting weakness isn't there?  It is a scary thing to say that you don't fully possess the capacity to bear the weight of a trial.  To relinquish control and allow life to be directed by anyone other than ourselves is downright frightening.  But, as frightening as relinquishing control is, the bravery that it takes to initiate the quest for spiritual growth can feel sort of like jumping off of a cliff.  When life seems to be running rather smoothly, to ask God to cause us to grow, while knowing that this growth may cause pain, seems more than a little counter-intuitive.  We have to be willing to accept the fact that it could hurt...it could hurt a lot.

Frankly, this asking may cause a complete disruption in our lives that may feel like loss.  And by the way, it is.  It is loss because we are assured that there will be a cost to follow Christ.  Things that we have become dependent upon could be ripped away from us.  These could be our job, relationships, money, material possessions - basically, anything that is an idol and taking the place of God in our lives.

Christians are NOT promised the Best Life Now (that reference was intentional) nor are we assured a life in this broken world without hardship.  In fact, we are told that sacrifice is required, pain inevitable and persecution promised.  We are told that there is a cost to discipleship.  Jesus Christ was quite specific about this when he said "whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it".  If the faith of removing our hands from the wheel, sharing a yoke, jumping off of a cliff, and taking up the cross isn't bravery, I'm not sure what is.

4 comments:

  1. Scott, nice word picture. I've jumped off a couple rocks in my day but nothing that would impress anyone. Trials...that's another story! God help us to persevere and grow through hardship!

    Evan
    www.EvanNehring.com

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  2. Scott,

    I enjoyed reading your post. "God won't give you more than you can handle" is not in the Bible!"... this is a true statement! I believe that this is a misinterpretation of 1 Cor 10:13 when Paul talks about temptations, not trials. Another common phrase people use all the time is, God says, "Ayúdate que te ayudaré" (God helps those who help themselves, in English). I have seen the beauty of God's Grace lifting up those who have not done much to help themselves! His Grace is sufficient, and in His Eternal Love we can be called HIS CHILDREN!!!

    This is my acronym, A.A.A.A.A. In Christ I have been Adopted, Accepted, Affirmed, Approved and Amada (Loved). This emergency code reminds me that I don't have to rely in my own strength because His power is perfect in my weaknesses! (Ohhh, those are many!)

    Jesus is the Center of my Life and He does not share his throne with anybody else!

    Please, keep writing...

    Carmen

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    1. Thanks for your comments, Carmen. I agree that the misinterpretation comes from 1 Cor. In the western culture, it seems that we have a tendency to quote a lot of verses that aren't actually in the Bible. Sometimes, we seem to inject our own culture into that we think God meant. That is scary! I too have seen those , helped by God's grace, who have not helped themselves...they either couldn't or wouldn't. But, God lifted them. I've also known that some who think they've helped themselves were only empowered to do so through God's grace! All good things come from Him. Your acronym is great and I'm glad you have found a way to remind yourself of these comforting thoughts! I will keep writing. Just last night, I was looking at bow little I have written this year. So, time to kick it into gear. Thanks for your encouragement.

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    2. Nice to read your reply! Have you written any new thoughts?

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