Naked Before God
Life moves quickly; the older you get, the faster it moves, or so it seems. Life comes at you fast. Sometimes we wonder why we get up and do what we do, why we try, why we keep going, when life is so overwhelmingly running us over. Routines, requirements, deadlines, chores, desires, expectations, dreams, and decisions crowd our minds and our schedules. Life is overwhelming, if not always, almost always. There are times when things look so dark that the only way out might seem to be to "unplug the chord." The grind and tug-of-war between what we want and what we must, tears at our hearts so strongly that we hope for it all to simply be over.
I've been there; in fact, I'm there now, and often am. That is life: struggling between stress and hope. It is at that point, where I find myself most vulnerable; most insignificant and powerless. But it is also at that point, where there is no longer anywhere left to run and I must face reality. I can't hide from or deny it, I must simply face it. It is only at the brink of despair and anguish that I often learn how to breathe. I have to stop in my tracks because there is nothing left to analyze, nothing left to consider, I simply must stop and surrender my fears and worries. It is here, where I realize I have been running away from Him who has loved me; from Him who longs to help me and have been running to those who don't care. Every person has their own fears from which they run.
However, one thing we all have in common is that we all run away from God. Why? Because we hate confrontation; we despise being wrong or admitting we aren't perfect. I am guilty of this. It is pride that often keeps us from God. We hide, as Adam did, for we are naked before God; our sins are uncovered and visible, our wounds, exposed. I realize that this is all fine and dandy to speak of, but when trial comes, I am hiding in the closet and stubborn stiff about changing my attitudes and lifestyle. It's all fine and dandy as long as we talk about someone else's sin, but when it comes to mine, I'm no longer content. It hurts to change. It hurts to let go. It hurts to let our sin be exposed to God's holiness, but it is a necessary pain. Without it, we cannot grow and mature.
There are two pains mankind experiences: pain unto death and pain unto life. Pain unto death is what unbelievers experience, as they are dead in the spirit. Pain unto life, is what believers experience, as they become dead unto the flesh, and boy is it painful! In the midst of that pain, however, we look for roots to grasp on to so that we might not be washed away by the heavy currents of life. It is then that the body of Christ plays such a vital role in the lives of those who are struggling. As brothers and sisters, we are commanded to be there for one another, but we are also extremely necessary to each other. God gave us each other and He fully expects us to support one another. Life is too hard and goes by too fast to go it alone. Life comes at us too fast to ignore our fellow Christians. We are each too vulnerable and exposed to ignore the facts. Our sins are naked before a Holy God, so let us grab on to the roots around us.
Thanks, brother Keith, for being that root in my life.
I've been there; in fact, I'm there now, and often am. That is life: struggling between stress and hope. It is at that point, where I find myself most vulnerable; most insignificant and powerless. But it is also at that point, where there is no longer anywhere left to run and I must face reality. I can't hide from or deny it, I must simply face it. It is only at the brink of despair and anguish that I often learn how to breathe. I have to stop in my tracks because there is nothing left to analyze, nothing left to consider, I simply must stop and surrender my fears and worries. It is here, where I realize I have been running away from Him who has loved me; from Him who longs to help me and have been running to those who don't care. Every person has their own fears from which they run.
However, one thing we all have in common is that we all run away from God. Why? Because we hate confrontation; we despise being wrong or admitting we aren't perfect. I am guilty of this. It is pride that often keeps us from God. We hide, as Adam did, for we are naked before God; our sins are uncovered and visible, our wounds, exposed. I realize that this is all fine and dandy to speak of, but when trial comes, I am hiding in the closet and stubborn stiff about changing my attitudes and lifestyle. It's all fine and dandy as long as we talk about someone else's sin, but when it comes to mine, I'm no longer content. It hurts to change. It hurts to let go. It hurts to let our sin be exposed to God's holiness, but it is a necessary pain. Without it, we cannot grow and mature.
There are two pains mankind experiences: pain unto death and pain unto life. Pain unto death is what unbelievers experience, as they are dead in the spirit. Pain unto life, is what believers experience, as they become dead unto the flesh, and boy is it painful! In the midst of that pain, however, we look for roots to grasp on to so that we might not be washed away by the heavy currents of life. It is then that the body of Christ plays such a vital role in the lives of those who are struggling. As brothers and sisters, we are commanded to be there for one another, but we are also extremely necessary to each other. God gave us each other and He fully expects us to support one another. Life is too hard and goes by too fast to go it alone. Life comes at us too fast to ignore our fellow Christians. We are each too vulnerable and exposed to ignore the facts. Our sins are naked before a Holy God, so let us grab on to the roots around us.
Thanks, brother Keith, for being that root in my life.
