Wow, we are in March already. So how is your year so far?
This week we are going to look closer at our impetus for change.
The desire for a change seems like it can come from anywhere:
- Your friend shows up with something new (shoes, car, house,
trip) and you decide you would also like something new-a change that you discern is positive.
- You are frustrated with your job, your relationships, your lack of progress, your bad habits, your lack of personal freedom- you decide enough is enough.
- You come to the place where you wonder: "Is this is all there is."
Each scenario is the point of impregnation. It can come from both positive or negative experiences, but it is the exact moment where the seed of a better life becomes planted. It's the spark that ignites faith.
Without instruction, we are likely to conclude that we are doing this to ourselves, within our own minds. But I would like to
offer a much wider lens to see this. In those moments of sobriety, or hunger, or pain, we are actually being led, called, or inspired by our Maker.
The love of God knows no bounds. It pursues us constantly, inviting us into a constant expansion of ourselves, into more awareness, a higher consciousness, into oneness.
In Hebrews 12:2, it says that Jesus is
the "founder" and "perfecter" of our faith. Some versions say he is the "Author" and "Finisher". That may seem odd at first, especially if you do not subscribe to Christianity. But think about it. The story is that Jesus is both God and Man, that he is the word that became flesh (John 1:14).
Is it possible that some cosmic work of Christ is the
impetus for my belief that I can have a better life?
If this seems like a stretch, consider this.
Jesus didn't come to establish some new religion, he came to complete or "finish" all of them. His disciples remained Jews. The Samaritans remained as they were. The Centurion remained Roman. Christianity was hated because it made this
astounding claim that Yahweh (the God of the Jews) was now saving gentiles (non Jews) without them having to convert to Judaism. Jesus promoted faith in God, not religion. It was the church that came along after him and institutionalized everything again. We must unlearn this so we can find true faith again. We can't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Like the quote says above. We must be open to
changing our minds about things, or our impetus for change will not begin anything. The good news is that we have this inclination. It means we are being "founded." And that means we can be also be "finished" or "perfected"-and that is the basis of all desire.
