Christ in Our Broken World
It was an ordinary, giving my son a bowl of Cheerios, kind of day. My son was laying down on the couch, slowly waking up, messy hair on top of his head and his favorite blanket in his arms. Then:
“Mom. We need to take care of the Earth. Because if we don’t take care of the Earth, it will be broken.”
I had dishes to do. I had to scramble to pack my lunch while reminding myself that I should pack in the night before so I don’t do this scramble every morning. My youngest son needed a bottle. My daughter was walking down the hallway. I still needed to do my hair. I wanted to respond with a nod and move on.
Until the Lord prompted my heart. ::Listen to your son::
“You’re right Rocco, we do need to take care of the Earth because that is what God wants us to do. But, unfortunately, the Earth is already broken.”
“What?! Why!??! Can we fix it?!”
As he sat at our kitchen table, I reminded him of the story of Adam and Eve. We had a discussion in 4-year-old terms how sin entered the world and there are consequences for the choice Adam and Eve made. This led to a conversation about being God’s helper and taking care of the world until Jesus comes back. Which led to my son saying he wanted to be God’s helper. We said the most simple and pure prayer for his salvation. Over Cheerios. With messy hair and favorite blankets on an ordinary day.
There is a drastic shift that happens when we recognize the brokenness of this world and accept Jesus. All of a sudden, we have a purpose outside of ourselves, bigger and greater than we ever could be. Our focus turns from pleasing ourselves and trying to fill up that hole in our heart with stuff, people, drugs, careers, status, money, and experiences; to learning how to please God and filling up that hole in our hearts with Him. Just Jesus.
But then life happens. And I loose my focus. I have spent so much time, as a Christian, focusing on myself. My emotions, my wounds, my wants, my goals, my family, my struggles, my relationships, my, my, my, my, my, my…………..
I love how thorough Paul is in his explanations of these questions that come up in our faith. Whenever we read scripture, remember, it needs to be in context with the entirety of God’s Word. These verses incorporate the thought Paul had in Romans when describing Christ in us:
"Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased with being ignored." (Romans 8: 5-8 MSG)
Ouch. That hits hard. What am I living for? And better yet, WHO am I living for? Which are really hard questions to ask me and even harder to answer honestly. There are many times that I live solely for Jesus. But there are so many more times that I am living for myself.
But, don’t be discouraged! Paul doesn’t stop there. He continues his thought to remind us that once we have accepted Jesus, God makes us alive! Just stop, and breathe that into the depths of your soul. Who makes us alive? God. Who makes us alive? God. And one more time: Who makes us alive? God.
“But if God himself has taken up residence in your life, you can hardly be thinking more of yourself than of him. Anyone, of course, who has not welcomed this invisible but clearly present God, the Spirit of Christ, won’t know what we’re talking about. But for you who welcome him, in whom he dwells—even though you still experience all the limitations of sin—you yourself experience life on God’s terms. It stands to reason, doesn’t it, that if the alive-and-present God who raised Jesus from the dead moves into your life, he’ll do the same thing in you that he did in Jesus, bringing you alive to himself? When God lives and breathes in you (and he does, as surely as he did in Jesus), you are delivered from that dead life. With his Spirit living in you, your body will be as alive as Christ’s!” (Romans 8:9-11 MSG)
I love this because it is a MUCH NEEDED reminder that it’s not me that makes me alive. It's not my works. It’s not my mothering skills. It’s not my job. It’s not my emotional baggage. It’s not ME. It’s Jesus. And as I get to know Him more and more (which I do by reading the Word and spending time in prayer and worship), He continues to shift my focus from myself to Him as He teaches me His ways. I am SO thankful that He doesn’t throw in the towel with me when I loose my focus. That He loves me so hard that all I can do is love Him in return and show Him to the world.
Is Christ in you, sweet soul sister? If He is, take some time today to ask Him if you need to shift your focus back to Him. If He isn’t, or you aren’t sure, I encourage you to talk to a friend or a leader at Ignite Life about your relationship with Jesus.
Megan Sinisi is one of our Refres{her} bloggers. She describes herself as a 30-something year old lady who is still figuring out who the heck she is and sometimes worries she is just crazy. Megan is a most of the time stay at home mom of 3 precious little “tyrants” whom she loves more than her own breathe and wife to an amazing husband. She absolutely adores a good cup of coffee, chocolate and peanut butter combinations, coloring, being crafty, figuring out homeschooling her children, being silly and laughing with her husband, and chatting with friends about embarrassing moments and deep things at the same time. She has a love and fervor for writing and is walking in faith that God is calling her to use the passion and the gift He has given her. She hopes that her journey encourages, challenges, inspires, comforts, and most importantly, shines the light of Jesus and the reality of His love, grace, and mercy. More writings can be found on Megan's blog at: https://myrenderingheart.wordpress.com/