It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.
It can be hard though. Whatever stage we are in, we can feel too comfortable with where we're at, instead of pressing further out into the deeps of God's promises. We curl up in our shells and feel that life is going just fine. But God in His infinite wisdom, holiness, and love, wants so much more for us than personal peace, a sense of morality, a bit of pocket-change, and our cozy self-deception of being able to "handle" it all. He wants our hearts wholly, and He wants them holy. So He cracks our shells.
I had a feeling this past year was going to be different. Looking back now from the cool vantage point of late fall, Thanksgiving season, the main theme that has arisen is change, and the truth that in this life nothing ever stays the same. Except one thing. Okay, two things.
First, my fragile little heart is always in motion. Always floating, drifting, being tossed about in the waves of life. Second and most important, my great God and Savior Jesus Christ never changes. He is always the same, yesterday, today, and for all the unknowns. He remains steadfast and sure, an anchor for the soul.
by N.C. Wyeth
Take courage from the example of the Pilgrims. They left cozy England, climbed into small wooden ships, and embarked upon a perilous journey across a great deep into a greater unknown. They faced unrelenting hardships in the New World. They could have stayed "safe" in England, if they would give up their freedom to worship God. But they knew the only truly safe place was found in casting themselves on the promises of the Lord. So they chose a holy adventure and a hard pursuit of the Kingdom of God. In the words of William Bradford,"They committed themselves to the will of God, and resolved to proceed." The Lord wanted their obedience, even in the teeth of trials, that would light a beacon of faith for future generations. He proved to be their courage and strength in weakness. They persevered bravely, and gave thanks. Their world was shaken, so that what was unshakeable could remain.
"All great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage. ― William Bradford, Pilgrim
This year, different things have been shaken in our world, and in small ways just in my own life. And it has been uncomfortable. But...it has been good. Because He is shaking things that I tend to put my trust and identity in, even good things, so that what cannot be shaken can remain: Christ Himself, His finished work, His victory and power, His Kingdom, and His great love for His children, for me, in spite of me.
Consider this. It doesn't get more dire and hopeless than Ephesians 2:1-3: "And you were dead in trespasses and sins...sons of disobedience...by nature children of wrath." But then in verse 4 come the most glorious two words in the history of mankind: "But God." And everything changed. The grand thing is, when we get out of our little shells, when we leave the harbor, no matter what comes, we aren't left to ourselves. God promises to be with us. It doesn't get more hopeful than that!
Earlier in the summer, I went to put up the chickens one warm, soft evening. In the dim, musty barn was a seemingly ordinary, mundane scene. Our little red hen had hatched babies, and she lay on the ground in the corner of the coop (since the chicks couldn't roost yet) with her little ones nestled under her heart, safe.
And what struck me with so much weight and reality is this: that's how the Lord of the universe describes Himself and His tender care of His children! Astounding, isn't it? As I stood in the dirty coop, my eyes welled up as that truth soaked in:
He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge. ― Psalm 91:3Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. ― Psalm 63:7
We can't know the incredible closeness our Heavenly Father wants with us when we have various shells separating us from seeing Him clearly. We get too comfortable in our dangerous English harbors. But praise HIM, He gives us courage to break through, embark on the voyage that we were made for, and He keeps watch over us. He is infinitely worthy of our trust.
"Faith is a reasoning trust, a trust which reckons thoughtfully and confidently upon the trustworthiness of God." ― John Stott
“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.” ― Victor Hugo
In this grand adventure of life, we have steadfast promises made by our unchanging Lord Jesus Christ that He has saved us by His grace (Eph. 2:8), delivered us from darkness, forgiven our sins, placed us in His Kingdom (Col.1:13-14), pronounced us righteous in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21), adopted us as His children (Rom. 8:15), nothing can separate us from His love (Rom. 8:37-39), He has overcome the world (John 16:33), He has defeated the enemy (Col. 2:15), He has broken our bondage to sin (Rom. 6:12-23), He will be with us always (Matt. 28:20), and He will finish the work He's begun in us (Phil. 1:6), even now He Himself works in us to will and do His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13), and He will help us break free from all the shells we find ourselves in (Heb. 4:14-16). He will lead us on as our Captain (Heb. 2:10), and be our Anchor (Heb. 6:17-20) in the winds of change.
So what are we afraid of anyway? By HIS grace, I want to know Him better, see Christ more clearly, venture wholly out into His promises, and whatever it takes, be changed more and more into His image.
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for."
So let's press on, hidden in Christ and looking to Him. Fearless.
Happy Thanksgiving!
-ak
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