Enlarged in the waiting…
“Christians are a source of hope to the extent that others can find in them a source of strength and joy.” – Brennan Manning
The world is in the balance at the moment. Times are tough and people are realigning what is important. Anxieties are high, and opinions and criticisms are being tossed about. We are in the middle of a waiting period, and we are aware of it. What will happen? Who will help? Will we make it? How long will this last? In the midst of waiting, we are filling out time with busyness; speculations of what is to come and what should be done, blame, anxious uncertainty, distractions and daydreams. When understanding is sought by those who rely on men to bring hope, failure is inevitable. Whispers of success may occur, but hope in men is truly futile. In these times we have the light of life in Christ to bring peace and restoration to toxic circumstances amidst our own understanding, that we might share it with those around us. As ambassadors of the Living God, we reveal the perspective of understanding in light of eternity. We have the ability to inspire others by illuminating Christ. Our source of hope which we share is the echo of the source of hope we know in Him who died to raise us to The Lord God Almighty.
What we believe is that the one who raised up the Master, Jesus Christ, will just as certainly raise us up with Him; alive in Him. Every detail works to our advantage and God’s glory: More and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise – that we might be filled from his abundance. So we will not give up! We will not forget his sustenance or cease to be encouraged by the mercy we’ve received. Even though on the outside it often looks as if things are falling apart on us, we know that on the inside, in our hearts, minds and souls where God is making and revealing new life, not a moment or day goes by without his grace unfolding. The hard days are brief and passing. There is no promise that we will be free of them as we go through life, but there is a promise that in light of the glory of an eternity of peace and goodness, we are truly waiting through the difficult days for the celebration and joy which is prepared to come. In this we must know that there is far more going on than meets the eye. The things we see in the world are of the world. The horrors and calamity, the injustice and angst – the lack of understanding of what truly matters; these are hidden to those who understand with their eyes and base their hope in men. Those who comprehend purpose in the isolation of self are responsible for their own restoration; they are bound to the tactile frustration of a lack of transcendence beyond the immediate. The things we see, here and now, are for today and we should understand that what is distracting, demoralizing and deterring us from the unseen peace of purpose is the playground of the temporal perspective. The things which embody peace, purpose and understanding are held in the eternal, which we only know in Christ, who we are alive in.
The fundamental fact of the eternal is embodied in trust in God – In faith, hope and understanding. Faith – that is a firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. Hope – the preserving blanket of comfort in the omnipotence of the Father and his perfect timing in action. Understanding – the community of the faithful which does not subject itself to the paradigm of human confines and isolation. We must trust in the unseen. Trust in God is the embodiment of living in the eternal light and we can only experience it when we understand with out hearts and base our hope in Him.
God is generous in dispensing his peace and grace. He calls us to know him more, that we may be filled with his peace and grace – conscious of our purpose as those made alive in Christ. Our goal is to show the life He has given us to those clouded by death. Just as Christ endured the pain and darkness of the cross in bringing light to the world, we emulate Him by responding to the temporary pain and darkness we experience with the light known in the eternal. We respond with the light of being alive in Christ. We are conscious of the unseen amidst the seen, that we may live in the exuberance of a glorious Father who presently works throughout creation, causing all suffering, distraction, elation and sustenance to work together for the good of his purpose. (Unlike us, He not only keeps every ball in the air at the same time, but he does it in a manner which is overwhelmingly faithful and gracious.) He is working to fill our hearts to abundance in Himself. He enlarges our capacity for Himself, that we might show his love to others and that we may spill our over-flowing cups of his life in a world marked by death.
We are truly filled to abundance, as Paul relays in Romans… All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it is not only around us, it is within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us from within. We are also feeling the birth pangs these sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for from deliverance. That is why waiting does not diminish us anymore than the waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, do not see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become and the more joyful our expectancy! The waiting may be difficult, but affix your heart on Him. He will give you peace of the eternal amidst the temporal, that you may be sustained through the turmoil and share his hope and joy with those around you. And when you are through you will hear Him say come to me, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom I have prepared for you from the foundation of the world.