“Apparently,
then, our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the
universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which
we have always seen from the outside, is no mere neurotic fancy but the truest
index of our real situation. And to be at last summoned inside would be both
glory and honor beyond all our merits and also the healing of that old ache.”
- C.S. Lewis The Weight of Glory
Have you ever felt as though you don’t
belong in this world? Like.... wherever your turn you come face to face with people
and things that seem strange to you and wonder why you don’t really fit into the
things of this world? Maybe you even feel like nothing in this world, not even the
wondrous and beautiful can truly quench the greater desire you have deep inside? You don't understand where this passion for greater things comes from and you are certainly baffled by the feeling of "not fitting". Maybe that's just it! Have you ever stopped to think that it could be true? That maybe you always feel like you don't fit in because that is how you were created! CRAZY right!!! You
are not alone and trust me you don’t have these feelings simply because you feel
inferior, no. There is a greater, more glorious reason for this strange happening:) God created us like this for a reason so AMAZING!
I am sure that many of you have never read
C.S. Lewis’s The Weight of Glory. If
you have not read this work, I highly encourage you to do so, because it is absolutely incredibly amazing and intriguing and shines a light on a topic which we do not
give much contemplation towards. However, before I dive head first into talking about all this work has to tell
us, let me first give you a little bit of background for when it was first
released.
The
Weight of Glory was a sermon preached by C.S. Lewis on June 8, 1941, when
England was at war with Germany. Now if you consider when this sermon was
given, it was spoken in a time when many people where in hard times due to
WWII, which definitely makes the words from the sermon much more powerful. The
main point of C.S. Lewis’ The Weight of
Glory is that a desire for something greater and something that we have not
yet seen is built into our fundamental human nature. Within each of us is a
desire for heaven, because that is what we were made for. Earth is just our
temporary home (thank God!). We have a desire for Heaven because that is how God created us!
C.S. Lewis titled his sermon The Weight
of Glory because that is our eternal reward upon arrival to heaven. C.S. Lewis
states, “The promise of scripture may very roughly to reduce to five heads. It
is promised, firstly, that we shall be with Christ; secondly, that we shall be
like him; thirdly, with an enormous
wealth of imagery, that we shall have 'glory;' fourthly, that we shall, in
some sense, be fed or feasted or entertained; and finally that we shall have
some sort of position in the Universe.”
While every promise is so unfathomable and incredible we now know that what we have to look forward to is something "Glorious" (for lack of a better word). Let us
however focus on the third promise of scripture; for the others are indeed a
topic for another day. The third promise we are given is that “we shall have
glory.” But what is “glory” in the sense that it is used? What does it really
mean for us?
Picture in your head for a moment what
comes to mind when you hear the word “glory.” Maybe you are seeing angels, or
think that it means some type of elevation? Those are both slightly true, but
let us look at a definition to understand what it means:
Glory à n. 1) very great praise, honor, and
distinction bestowed by common consent.
2) Resplendent beauty or magnificence.
While those are both accurate
definitions of glory and give us a glimpse of its brilliance, let us further look at the definition we are given by C.S. Lewis which is truly magnificent:
“Either glory means to me fame, or it means luminosity (The Weight of Glory).”
When you think of “Glory”, you might think something along the lines of the first definition (fame) given by C.S. Lewis; I know I
do. However, while you probably always look at glory as someone or something
receiving fame, do you ever look of “glory” as being luminosity? You might be
wondering what does “luminosity” mean? I could give you the dictionary
definition, but why don’t we look back at The
Weight of Glory to see if it explains this perspective in more detail:
“As
for the first, since to be famous means to be better known than other people,
the desire for fame appears to me as a competitive passion and
therefore of hell rather than heaven. As for the second, who wants to become a
kind of living electric light bulb?”
Wow!!! A light bulb...yes please:) That is quite an interesting
description and picture of what luminosity will be, but if you think about it,
it is completely accurate. And honestly, don’t you think it is cool that we will be
like a light bulb? Not in the sense of really being a light bulb, but in the
sense, that we will be bright, a shining “Luminous” light when we arrive in
heaven!! Way Cool!!!!
However, while C.S. Lewis’s point is that we
ourselves (our soul) in Heaven will be something like a “living electric light
bulb,” that is however, just one of the main points of this work that he is
trying to get across to us. Rather, the overall point of his work, is that we
have a desire built inside of us for Heaven and the even more so, the treasures and things of heaven, but here is the absolutely amazing part! Your
desire for the things of heaven comes from your desires of the things that you marvel
at or take joy in here on earth every day! I know that is an interesting concept,
but understand it this way. Let us say you adore music. You cannot ever get
enough of it, and anytime those notes reach your ears you are drawn towards
the music. There is a reason for this desire for music deep within you and the reason being
that your inner yearning is really for the music of heaven. However, because
your inner being yearns for the music of heaven, no earthly melody will ever be
enough to satisfy your desire, because the harmonies on earth will never be anything compared to the music of heaven! Oh how glorious that music will sound:) You can apply this concept to anything else in life, if you love nature: flowers, plants, etc...just think of Heavenly beauty such as this!!! C.S. Lewis discusses this inner desire
in his work, The Weight of Glory:
“We want something else which can
hardly be put into words—to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it,
to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.”
Isn’t this utterly amazing!!!! Our longing
for the things of Heaven is within us, because it is Gods way of building an inner
longing for heaven within our being. And though this might seem strange at
times, it is so powerful because it truly shows us that Heaven is our real
home; earth is just our present stop. Therefore, do not despair! When it seems
like you don’t fit in and are different, you really are! We were made since the dawn of time to be different! We were made for a place other than this world.....our true home, Heaven! Embrace the magnificence of God's plan in how he created you and the longings he planted within your soul!
“
The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the bringing to be
acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some chasm that yawns
between us and reality, is part of our inconsolable secret…”
The reality for each one of us,
is that we will always have a longing for the splendors of Heaven, because we
do not belong here. C.S Lewis states, “There
are no ordinary people…But it is immortals, whom we joke with, work with,
marry, snub, exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendorous (Lewis
9).” That quote always gives me chills! There
truly are no ordinary people and the sooner we realize this, the better off we
will be. We might have an idea of what our glory in Heaven will be like, but we
will never be able to fathom how it marvelous!!!
2 Corinthians 3:10-11
“For
what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. And
if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that
which lasts.”
Elizabeth Elliot describes heaven as
this, “Heaven is not here, it’s there. If
we were given all we wanted here, our hearts would settle for this world rather
than the next. God is forever loving us up and away from this one, wooing us to
Himself and His still invisible Kingdom, where we will certainly find what we
so keenly long for.”
"Apparently, then, our lifelong nostalgia, our longing to be reunited with something in the universe from which we now feel cut off, to be on the inside of some door which we have always seen from the outside, is no mere neurotic fancy, but the truest index of our real situation. And to be at last summoned inside would be both glory and honor beyond all our merits and also the healing of that old ache." (The Weight of Glory)
Though it is Heaven and everything
beyond its gates of splendor that we have a strong desire for, it is also glory
that is bestowed upon us in heaven. We cannot even begin to imaging what the
glory of Heaven will be like, but it is not just Heaven that will have glory and be "luminous". Remember, each of us will posses a since of “glory”, and as C.S. Lewis so picturesquely
stated, we will be a “living electric lightbulb!”
One day GLORY will truly be ours in our Heavenly Home!!! Therefore, when you feel despaired because of the world and its pressures, lies, and brokenness.....remember that "there are no ORDINARY people" for you were made for a different place, a higher calling, a glorious life! Nothing on earth can ever quench the longing and desire withing our soul for the things of Heaven, but we have the confidence to know that one day "we will get in"!!! I can't even begin to imagine how amazing and awe inspiring that day will be but all I can do is dream about a place beyond world!!!
Have you ever read The Weight of Glory?
What do you think about the Glory that we will have one day?
Have you ever wondered what your
part was in the story? What role do you play? How could a little speck of a
person like you fit into the bigger picture, the main production of life? This
is your time, your “role call,” so what is it that you are here for?
There is a reason and a purpose for
everything in life (though sometimes it may be unknown to us). Everything has a
purpose, otherwise what would be the use of having it. Inventions, gadgets, and
gizmo's are all created with an idea in mind; meant to help us in some way,
solve problems, save time, etc. etc. But what do gadgets and gizmo's have to do
with our life? Well, if God was the inventor and creator behind who we are,
then we can be certain that we are not a sperr of the moment decision. Our
Heavenly Father thought long and hard about you before he created and brought
you into this world. He didn’t just create you, he cast you as an important part
of the story. However, unlike gadgets and gizmo's, which come accompanied by an
instruction manual and directions for use, we were not handed such a helpful
packet. We are cast into the story and learn our part along the way.
Do you know your part in the story? I highly doubt it,
because neither do I. It is not necessarily our place to know our part in the
greater scheme of things, for once again that is the marvelous mystery of God.
Nonetheless, this does not prevent Him from adding lines to our script and
scenes to our story. For slowly, along the way in life, you begin to see
glimpses of the bigger picture. Mind you, it is not all revealed, for that
would ruin the surprise, but yet, every charter will in the end known the
purpose for which they were cast!
Yes, we live without knowing.
Without seeing the full picture. Why? I am not quite sure, for at times I still
question God’s reasoning. Yet, I know that there is a reason, because I am here.
I was given a speaking part and as small as it might seem at the time, I know I
was cast as an important character!
I can’t help but reflect on and want
to read over, and over, and over again the words of one of my favorite authors
N.D. Wilson, when he talks about our roles in the production of life, stating:
We are always on stage. We are always in a novel, and
even when no other characters are
around, the art continues. The Triune audience watches. You have been given
your body, you have been given
your ancestors, your natural strengths and your natural weaknesses. The back story is all in place. You have been drawn,
described, and placed on a
stage unlike any other—the Globe. And you have been given your freedom to act. Your story has begun
already….Apparently you were worth bringing onto this stage. But why? Are you here as an extra in
somebody else’s scene? Are you here as a casualty?...Are
you a cautionary tale? We are all watching. We are all watched….Listen to your dialogue. Look at your
thoughts. Be horrified. Be grateful that God loves characters, and loves characters on journeys, characters
honestly striving to grow….Scene
after scene is given to you and the teeming universe in the audience waits for your reaction (Tilt-A-Whirl; 33-35).
I can’t help but LOVE every word written in N.D. Wilson’s
book Tilt-A-Whirl because it is all
so profoundly relevant to our life. When reading I constantly find myself
nodding my head, reading aloud and murmuring in agreement as goosebumps run down
my arm and an inspiring shiver travels down my back and trickles to my toes. This is what life is all about!!! This is
why we are here!!! This spinning globe is not only our home,
but it is our stage! We were called, we were cast, and now it is our turn to
take on our roll.
However, do you have questions? You might
beg to ask: Why now? Why me? For what purpose? Why was I put on this earth at
the time that I was born into existence? Everyone at some time or another
wrestles with these questions, not knowing or realizing the importance of their
part in the story. Sometimes it is a question battling it out with God and
crying in despair “Why!” Other times it is mere curiosity at the reasoning and
workings of a God so amazing and baffling that we wish we could get into his
mind and understand why he does what he does. But then again, I don’t think we
will ever be able to wrap our minds around the things he does, we just have to
know he has a reason for everything. He created the world and everything around
us for goodness sake, we should be able to trust him with something so small as
our part in the story.
On the flip side…….have you ever
thought to wonder what life would be like if you had never been born or born at
a different time in life? Maybe there have even been times that you wished you
might never have existed at all? Out of curiosity or despair we do contemplate
this at times, but what we cannot see is the impact we have had on those around
us.
What! “Lil ole me” has an impact on
people?
Yes, you most certainly do, but most likely you have never had the
opportunity to see it, or if you have, it has been on very rare occasions. Never
the less….you do have an impact….you are important!!
When writing this particular post, I was struck with the idea of using an example from a very famous
classic movie. Most of you have seen it I am sure, but if you never had the
opportunity to watch this film, you really should stop right here and go watch it J!!
This movie It’s a Wonderful Life gives viewers a chance to see what life would
be like if someone wished they had never been born. Teaching a lesson in
cherishing what we have and help us realize the importance of our life……
I remember watching It’s a Wonderful Life when I was younger, but I never grasped the
full meaning of the plot until I had to watch it again as an assignment for my World
View class. While it is a widely celebrated classic, it is even more celebrated
for the lesson and message it gives to viewers.
The movie focuses on the main
character George Bailey who has sacrificed nearly everything in life, giving up
his big dreams to stay and run the family business, take care of his family,
help others and never leave his home town of Bedford Falls; while his brother
goes off to college and everyone else moves on to bigger and better things. At
the climax of the film, George has had enough of his life and decided to commit
suicide on Christmas Eve. That is when Clarence, his guardian Angel, jumps
(literally) into the picture. Clarence shows George the importance of his life,
all the lives that he has touched and what life and Bedford falls would have
become if it were not for George Bailey. George’s brother Harry would have died
as a boy, because George would not have been there to save him and as a result
many a solder would have died in the war because Harry never lived to save
them. His uncle would have been put in an insane asylum, his mother would have
become a poor bitter widow, and Mary (his wife) would have been a deprived
spinster; all because George Bailey was never born. George finally realized the
impact of his life on all those around him, and he begs to be spared from
death. While his troubles are not over yet, as he is faced with possible arrest
because of a failing business, all those that he had helped over the years
gather together and donate enough money to save him and the family business.
His brother salutes him as being “The Richest Man,” and George realizes how
blessed he is.
I love that story!!!! That is just
one example I could think of showing how important our lives are even though we
might not realize it. Thus, the lesson learned here is that we won’t always
know the impact we have. Sometimes we might see our impact, but most often it
is hidden from our view. Because we cannot always see the impact God allows us
to have, it is easy to become discouraged and think that you are not important
to the story….that you do not have a purpose!
But
just think if you never existed!! What would life be…who would your family
be…your friends… Take a character out of a story and you are left with gaps.
Jobs are abandoned, tasks not done, places unvisited, people unmet or
un-introduced.
Taking a character out of a story
would be like taking out a stitch in a garment (bear with me, I like to
sew)…and what would result? The seam would unravel and fall apart. Why? Because
just one little stitch is important in helping hold the entire seam together.
Without the stitch and the seam, there would be no garment…your shirt would
fall to pieces when you put it on…all because of one stitch.
So think of yourself as a stitch in
time or a character on stage or in a novel…I don’t really care how you view
yourself in the greater scheme of things…all that matters to me is that you
know you have a role… you are
valuable…you matter...you are important…you are
treasured…necessary…created…called!
You were created for a purpose and if
you wish it any other way, life as we know it would be changed forever.
You are a Masterpiece,
a character in the story, a piece to the puzzle, a spec of dust, a stitch in
time….LIVE…..you are more than you realize and your story is just beginning!!
Do you feel at times like you don't have a purpose in God's Plan?
Have you ever been in the predicament of George Bailey?
Do you feel at times like you don't have a purpose in God's Plan?
Have you ever been in the predicament of George Bailey?
A short synopsis of Ruth found on biblehub.com:
The book of Ruth is the Narrative of a love story, yet also has some important Genealogy. The timeline of this book is intertwined during the period of the Judges. The author was anonymous but some believe it was perhaps written by Samuel the prophet; however, it is unlikely that he was alive when this book was written. It was written about 1046-1035 B.C. Key personalities include Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz.
Its purpose was to demonstrate the kind of love, and faithfulness that God desires for us. It shows the difference between what happens when a nation does not follow in obedience to the covenant of God (Judges), and when God’s people follow in faithfulness within the covenant (Ruth).
-------The story of Ruth is one that each of us should dwell upon in relation to our own lives-------
Last week we learned about the importance of breaking our Alabaster Box at Jesus feet and this week we will look at the life of a woman (Ruth) who did just that. Therefore, in order to study Ruth's life of reckless abandonment we will look at three areas of her life in relation to her amazing story:
- New Friends
- New Surroundings
- New Faith
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Ruth was a Moabite (a highly pagan people) who had married one of Naomi's sons. However, after the death of her husband Ruth was faced with a decision of where she would turn next! God had worked mightily in Ruth's life so far, so much so that she realized how false her old religion was and came to know the True God as her Lord and Savior. Because of her new found Faith in God she was on fire for following him....even if it meant following Him into the unknown. Upon the death of her husband Ruth's mother in law Naomi begged Ruth and Orpah (her two daughter in laws) to return to their home country in order that they might find new husbands. However, because of Ruth's new found faith and her dedication and love for her Mother in Law Naomi Ruth said :
"Don't urge me to leave you or turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God." (Ruth 1:16)
#1- New Friends: Ruth left her home country, all that she knew, and the prospects of a husband behind her as she chose to stay with her mother in law and follow her into the new and unknown. In Ruth's choice to stay with Naomi she left behind her old life and her old friends for the precise purpose of seeking the True God in her new faith.
Ruth knew that staying in Moab would only undermine her growth in God and thus she chose to pick up and move to a place that would be beneficial to her growth, surrounding herself with people who believe in the same God as she did.
Ruth knew that staying in Moab would only undermine her growth in God and thus she chose to pick up and move to a place that would be beneficial to her growth, surrounding herself with people who believe in the same God as she did.
- This is true for us in our own lives!
- How many times have you looked around and realized that your friends were not on the same path as you? That they had chosen a different life with different choices and a different goal?
- It is important for us to look around us and ask ourselves the question: "Are the people I am surrounding myself with causing me to grow closer to God or fall farther away from Him?
"Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good morals.'" (1 Cor. 15:33)
- When we choose to live a life of deeper commitment to our Heavenly Father we will often face ridicule and questions from those closest to us! Just like in the story of the woman who broke her Alabaster box, the disciples questioned "Why this waste" (Matt. 26:8).
- Realize how much those you surround yourself with in life effect how you live your life! Are they pointing you towards God or pulling you away?
You should surround yourself with friends who do as Hebrews 10:24 encourages:
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds."
#2- New Surroundings: In the story of Ruth, Ruth relocated and moved to a different place in order that she could freely grow spiritually!
- Many young women choose to relocate themselves to different jobs, different social circles, and even different churches all for the sake of being "spiritually fed" instead of always coming up "hungry."
- How about you in your life? Are you in a place in which you are being fed spiritually or do you still find that you hunger for more?
- It might take a leap of faith and you might be faced with judgement from others but always be open to change that is beneficial for your spiritual growth.
----Like Ruth choose to be in a place that stimulates your growth in God instead of hindering it----
The sad truth is that Young women who choose to follow a path and change in order that they can grow spiritually are persecuted (persay) not only by non-Christians who do not understand the reasoning for their decisions, but they are also persecuted by their own kind....Christians!
"Unfortunately, our self-centered culture in the United States [and throughout the world] has penetrated the Church so much that a young woman not only has to choose against the American culture, but sometimes against the more subtle, worldly Christian subculture tainting the Body of Christ (NLIW)."
----Ruth had to Forsake the Familiar and comfortable in order to receive God's best for her life----
It is important for us never to forget that "part of reckless abandonment is realizing how much our culture has affected out behavior patterns (p.25)." You want to be filled with Christ but your life is a reflection of those very people around you who do not follow God but follow the world. Where has the dividing line between those of the world and those of God????? It has vanished!!!! Let us put it back in place!
#3 - New Faith: "Ruth moved from a false religion into the only true and eternal relationship (NLIW)." So many young women of today's society are involved in worship but are at a stand still in their growth with God. Is your Faith alive and growing or is it a lifeless monotonous tradition you participate in on Sundays?
- Instead of seeing your faith as a "lifeless ritual" why not re-evaluate your faith in these free years as a single lady and take the time to really focus on your Heavenly Father and allow your faith to grow to unseen heights!
- Let us choose right now to put mediocrity aside, refocus our life of faith and FALL IN LOVE WITH JESUS!!!
In the book The New Lady In Waiting one woman described her desired relationship with Jesus to be something like this:
"I desire that my relationship with the Lord be an adventure. One where I would find out what pleased Him and then do it, devoting as much energy to Jesus as I would in a relationship with a boyfriend. I am falling more in live with Jesus every day (p.26)."
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???WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE???
Will you choose to follow Ruth's example and step upon the path of "Reckless Abandonment" or will you choose mediocrity and fade into those of the world? Sometimes it takes us making the hard decisions in order that we might receive God's best for our lives. We will most certainly face trials, judgement, uncertainty, and persecution but the bumps in the road are worth the ETERNAL PRIZE!
Our world is falling apart. Not only are the people of the world broken and blind, but in today's society so many Christians have been blinded and brainwashed by what the world has to say and do not wish to forsake the pleasures of the flesh to feed the spirit!
A.W. Tozer profoundly states:
"A whole new generation of Christians has come up believing that it is possible to 'accept' Christ without forsaking the world."
God calls us to be "set apart" and to "forsake the world" but we have become a people who do the opposite. A people who are so selfish and focused on our own wants and desires that we disregard all that God wants for us in our lives. Where have the followers of God gone???
Are you one of the Christians who has decided that they can follow God without forsaking the world? If so stop right now and re-evaluate your life!!! You deserve more than what the world has to offer and God deserves more than what you are offering Him.
Take up your Alabaster Box and break it at His feet! Say NO to the world and the sinful desires of the flesh! Take your life of new found Reckless Abandonment and follow in the footsteps of Ruth, in her life of Faith and Surrender to the One True God!!!
Through Ruth's Faith in God and her abandonment to His will and His plan she was blessed beyond comprehension. If you have read the story of Ruth you know that she married Boaz. Through her obedience to God and her marriage to her kinsman redeemer Ruth was part of the family line of Jesus! How AMAZING is that!! Just goes to show how one big or small act of obedience to God and Reckless Abandonment to His will and plan for your life can pour upon you blessings unimaginable.
Through Ruth's Faith in God and her abandonment to His will and His plan she was blessed beyond comprehension. If you have read the story of Ruth you know that she married Boaz. Through her obedience to God and her marriage to her kinsman redeemer Ruth was part of the family line of Jesus! How AMAZING is that!! Just goes to show how one big or small act of obedience to God and Reckless Abandonment to His will and plan for your life can pour upon you blessings unimaginable.
This is your time !!!
Now is your Call to Action !!!
Let us not be young women who shrink under the pressures of society but young women that rise above the clouds of smoke on the battlefield and come out victorious in Christ!
This is your time to change the world.....
STAND UP
STANDOUT
BE DIFFERENT
Have you ever experienced a time in your life when you were faced with choices, a difficult path, or an unknown future? I can't imagine any one of you who has not been faced with challenges such as these...challenges that make us stop and re-asses our life, wondering where God is and are we really strong enough to let go and trust Him with "everything"?
The truth is, that its hard! It is hard to let go because we know that when we let go it is out of our control and we no longer have access to manipulate and handle it ourselves. However, as much as we want "control" over our lives, our lives are not our own, and belong to one who is much greater than us weak human specimen. Our lives are meant to be offered up to God, for he calls us to "offer your bodies as living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1). We were precisely put here on this globe and given challenges and a future all so that we can give them to God, offering them up as a sacrifice! Elizabeth Elliot so clearly states that "There is no ongoing spiritual life without the process of letting go. At the precise point where we refuse, growth stops (Passion and Purity)."
Therefore, before we even take another step forward in our lives we must stop for a moment and asses what our lives and future are in the eyes of God! Are they things we have freely offered up to Him, or are we tightly clutching onto them, wanting to stay in control? This is the start to an amazing journey, but in order to start out on the right foot, we must first start by learning what it is to live a life of Reckless Abandonment to our Heavenly Father...coming before Him and breaking our "Alabaster Box" at His feet!
What is the "Alabaster Box"? The box is exactly what it sounds like, it is an ornate box made out of Alabaster and usually held as contents expensive and significant perfume (known as Nard). Back in the days when Jesus was on the earth, the box was essentially a young woman's dowry. Depending on how wealthy her family was, her Alabaster box and perfume within would signify her standing in life. Now, a dowry is something a young woman has which she offers up to a man when he makes her an offer of marriage. Thus, when the time was right and she had found a man, she would take the box and break it at his feet, signifying that she was giving her life and or future over to him.
Now, before you get bored from the history lesson just keep on reading because what you read next is so cool!! So.......how does the Alabaster box fit into living a life of Reckless Abandonment? Lets look at a story from the Bible to see what God has in store:
John 14: 3-9 (A Woman Anoints Jesus With Perfume)
"While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
(Matthew 26:6-13; Luke 12:1-11)
I am sure most of you are familiar with this story as was I when I first started this topic, but it is going to get even more amazing! Most scholars believe that the woman in this story (also known as Mary) was Mary the sister of Lazarus. However, there have also been some speculations that she was the woman who had been caught in adultery in John 8:1-10 (a woman who was a sinner, Like 7:37) and if that were indeed the case then the act of breaking her box is even more significant as it symbolized that she was leaving her life of sin to follow Jesus.....breaking her Alabaster Box at His feet. However, why was the act of breaking an expensive box full of sacred perfume so special? The box was a young woman's dowry and thus significantly held all her dreams as that box was her future. Yet, this woman chose to break the box at her Heavenly Bridegroom's feet, giving him her life and her future! Jackie Kendall, author of The New Lady In Waiting states that "Yes, she was a sinner, but this sinner had dreams and wisely broke her alabaster box in the presence of the only One who can make a woman's dreams come true (p.21)."
Therefore, the question now is this...."What is in your Alabaster Box (p.21)." Is it full of dreams for the futures such as your schooling, career, or probably for all of us who we will marry! I know that is what my box was full of and trust me when I say holding onto your box is so much harder than breaking it at Jesus feet! Do you want to live a life of free and total surrender and abandonment go God? Do you want Him to be the keeper and writer of your future story? It isn't easy at first but trust me that God is enough and worthy of our trust in His plans!!
STOP what you are doing right now, pick up your box and break it at Jesus feet....he is worthy of such an act and honor. When you tightly clutch your box you feel uncertain and hold onto the "what ifs" of life, but when you break your box full of all your hopes and dreams at Jesus feet (the one who planted those hopes and dreams in your heart) you have the confidant assurance that whatever is God's will, will happen in his time (including finding your earthly bridegroom).
However, you might be wondering "how do I know when I have broken my box at Jesus feet?" Well, you know you have broken your box when your decisions and life reflect in your heart. How do you respond when things don't go your way (but God's way)? How do you respond when you see everyone around you with a boyfriend or everyone is getting engaged and married? Does your attitude reflect that of resentment towards God or are you confident God has your future in His hands! When we are faced with trying situations, our response should be that of Mary, who when the angel came before her and told of all that would happen she confidently responded "I belong to the Lord, body and soul...let it happen as you say(Luke 1:38)."
We have no power over what happens on this earth and even what happens in our own lives for that matter, so instead of trying to control our future, choose to instead surrender your "body, soul, and dreams,...entrust[ing] them to Jesus" who in him can make all your dreams come true!Choose right now to take the stand and life a life of Reckless Abandonment (NLIW, p. 22)! It will not be easy, but "with God all things are possible."
Have you Broken you box?
Are you living a life of Reckless Abandonment?
This post today was partially inspired by Chapter 1 in the book The New Lady In Waiting by Jackie Kendall.
Next Week: The Story of Ruth....Examples From a Life of Reckless Abandonment.
Have you ever been just so passionate about "something"......and wish you could just do something about? That you could just go out into the world and start talking to people about it, write books about it, write blogs about it, and give lectures about it and just tell everyone and make them aware?.....but then you realize you have to watch yourself because you might just start spewing lectures out at them that will probably sound like you are being "all judgmental" but that's not really the case! You are not seeking to be judgemental you are just sooooooooooooooooo passionate about so many things. When you feel this inner passion deep inside you know that God is directing you some way on a different path to use that passion He has enstilled inside.
Living life in this world is HARD!!!! I mean HARD!!! We are surrounded by a constant bombardment of pressures and when we don't live a life of confident and reckless abandonment to God we will never have the power to STAND UP to the world STANDOUT and not be afraid to BE DIFFERENT!
God calls us to be set apart and "not to conform" to the world. In the society of the 21st century this is quickly slipping away onto the back burner and is no longer the "norm." Everywhere we look we are faced with teens sliding down the slippery slope into the crowd of conformity. Girls are in a battle every day! When we try to stand up for what we believe people question us and ask "Why?" and then we start to second guess ourselves looking around to see that we are the only ones living a different lifestyle than those around us. When we start to second guess ourselves, we wonder why we even live the way we do and is it even worth it? Is it worth being judged, being thought weird, and being different???? YES!!! It is TOTALLY worth it.....trust me!!!
I am just an ordinary girl like you and have gone through my fair share of battles. I know what you face because I face it every day and I know how hard it is to stand strong when you don't have people to support you! That is what Standout Girl is all about! Standout Girl is here for girls just like me who have chosen to walk to the right --> when everyone else is walking to the left <--. We have chosen to live a life set apart and STANDOUT confidently in our faith, our view of relationships, our choices in life, and how we support one another.
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