Too Good To Be True?
Lately it's been a bittersweet season as I've been getting ready to transition out of New Philly and go back to being the YG/Em pastor of Hanmoory church. Despite my sadness in leaving such dear a community, God has been blessing my heart through the times I've been able to spend with various people. Many of them have showered love on me through gifts, food, cards but most importantly their company.
In these kind of seasons where I find myself overwhelmed by such love and favor, I'm tempted to ask, "It's too good to be true! Will this last?" Of course not. Granted, not every season will be one such as this, but the expectation that things will get better- is that a worthwhile expectation to hold?
Most of us will reflexively nod our heads to this because we've been trained by culture to do so. But let's examine the issue deeper.
You see, what I've been noticing in my own heart is an interesting hesitation and reluctance to put faith in the possibility that there is greater joy I will experience than now. Because frankly, it means risking my emotions, my heart to disappointment. And I don't want to get hurt! But in addition to that, it's also because that experiencing God and His goodness on a greater level will change things. I am creature of comfort and I have many a day where I can use a little less of that thing called change. Hence, in many ways, it's safer to be content with the current level of fulfillment/joy, because I'm used to it.
Therein is the most underrated barrier and fear that holds many of us back from pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly. It's not necessarily blatant idolatry, but it's the belief that as blessed as we are walking in the favor of the Lord, there's a subconscious conviction that there's little chance things will get better than the way things are- so it's not worth trying. And if we try at all and manage to breakthrough to a fuller degree of joy in the Lord, we're afraid of the rocking of the boat in our lives that needs to follow whenever we face up to the glory of God in a revelatory way. The result of it all is that we actually settle for a comfortable, "relatively" blessed life without pressing through and taking hold of God's fullest.
That alone doesn't sound too damaging if it weren't for the sober reality that in the end, without such a courageous charge towards contending for the goodness and favor of God, we actually become reduced to routine, religious Christians who satiate themselves with bear minimum. It's not unlike walking around Cost-co's and enjoying the samples of foods without paying the full cost to enjoy the actual thing. In the same way, we're content with what we've always known to be the goodness of God through the morsels of blessings we've received and are afraid to pay the cost of faith to believe He's even better.
Because that would change things.
And yet God has always been looking for those who will take Him at His Word, exercise their faith and dare to believe that He indeed has come to give us life, and life to the full. This leads me to believe, that if anything else, I would think our Christian lives would be a success just on the merit of us audaciously believing in the Lord for better, and better things.
In the end, it's not foolish thinking, but it's the very essence of courage and strength.
In these kind of seasons where I find myself overwhelmed by such love and favor, I'm tempted to ask, "It's too good to be true! Will this last?" Of course not. Granted, not every season will be one such as this, but the expectation that things will get better- is that a worthwhile expectation to hold?
Most of us will reflexively nod our heads to this because we've been trained by culture to do so. But let's examine the issue deeper.
You see, what I've been noticing in my own heart is an interesting hesitation and reluctance to put faith in the possibility that there is greater joy I will experience than now. Because frankly, it means risking my emotions, my heart to disappointment. And I don't want to get hurt! But in addition to that, it's also because that experiencing God and His goodness on a greater level will change things. I am creature of comfort and I have many a day where I can use a little less of that thing called change. Hence, in many ways, it's safer to be content with the current level of fulfillment/joy, because I'm used to it.
Therein is the most underrated barrier and fear that holds many of us back from pursuing the Lord wholeheartedly. It's not necessarily blatant idolatry, but it's the belief that as blessed as we are walking in the favor of the Lord, there's a subconscious conviction that there's little chance things will get better than the way things are- so it's not worth trying. And if we try at all and manage to breakthrough to a fuller degree of joy in the Lord, we're afraid of the rocking of the boat in our lives that needs to follow whenever we face up to the glory of God in a revelatory way. The result of it all is that we actually settle for a comfortable, "relatively" blessed life without pressing through and taking hold of God's fullest.
That alone doesn't sound too damaging if it weren't for the sober reality that in the end, without such a courageous charge towards contending for the goodness and favor of God, we actually become reduced to routine, religious Christians who satiate themselves with bear minimum. It's not unlike walking around Cost-co's and enjoying the samples of foods without paying the full cost to enjoy the actual thing. In the same way, we're content with what we've always known to be the goodness of God through the morsels of blessings we've received and are afraid to pay the cost of faith to believe He's even better.
Because that would change things.
And yet God has always been looking for those who will take Him at His Word, exercise their faith and dare to believe that He indeed has come to give us life, and life to the full. This leads me to believe, that if anything else, I would think our Christian lives would be a success just on the merit of us audaciously believing in the Lord for better, and better things.
In the end, it's not foolish thinking, but it's the very essence of courage and strength.
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