While I am visiting family, I have asked our "guest" preachers to reflect on a particular question:
How does God call me out of my comfort zone in order to bear fruit? The reflection will be a guest post here.
Asking
ourselves what God wants of us can easily be answered with, "what I
already do now, of course" but what if there is something more? As a
fledging married person, my initial response to how God is challenging
me was to bless people with friendship and hospitality in my new home.
Sounds good, right? Well, maybe that is an okay start but it seems
like something is missing. In my case, I do good works and for all
intensive purposes am a decent person. People look favorably upon me
like a innocent puppy or a flashy popular TV show. Sometimes strangers
say nice things about me for no apparent reason. All these things mean
I'm okay with God, right? Having to even ask the question seems to
suggest the opposite. Lately, I have let many friendships linger when I
could have called or sent a letter. I have witnessed injustice within
arms reach and stood by idly. I have prayed and read God's word, yet
not made a dwelling for the Risen One in the seat of my consciousness.
I've kept my Christian identity secret and felt ashamed to even mention
the name of Jesus. I have sinned greatly, my family, forgive me.
The
first step to forgiveness is not receiving absolution, rather, it is to
confess! When we confess, we awaken to the divine reality that God is
capable of forgiveness. God can change the power of the seas and turn
darkness into light. As a fast-food culture, we honestly don't prepare
enough time for confession; we don't let it sink in.
One
of my favorite manservant jobs to do around the apartment is to cook.
One thing I've learned is to appreciate spices and allow them to have
its time to properly sink into the meat. Strangely enough, I think a
similiar logic in confession applies in cooking. Think of reflection,
prayer, and confession as the divine spices and our hearts are the
unprepared raw meat (I'm thinking of a red New York Strip steak, and
you?). If you throw the steak on the grill right away, it's going to
taste so-so but it's worlds away in how good it can be. Likewise, when
we confess, perhaps we really need to take a time-out and be alone with a
journal or confide in a mentor about how you feel God is distant in
your life.
I
have already begun doing this and I must say, I am greatly relieved.
The experience is like being released from ignorance and having a new
perspective on joy and pleasure; its more synonymous with rejuvenation
as opposed to self-consumption. Jesus is known for refering to
discipleship as being flavorful like salt. "You are the salt of the
earth" He says, and I think that is a way of saying that true Christian
spirituality can bring much needed seasonings like life and joy to a
community and a nation--if we learn to be more salty.
Jeremy Koontz
Guest Contributor
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