We often create our own CRISIS OF THE HEART.
Not a happy thought, but often a true one. I find it especially true for those that follow Jesus Christ and really embrace the heart change that comes from living life with him. The more our heart changes, the more our life will change and the more we'll set ourselves apart from those that we love the most... and there is the crisis of the heart.
We love to know God more and we love to avoid crisis and conflict so what do we do?
I learned something very cool this last week as I was preparing my outline for our Sunday morning discussion at Journey.
The Chinese symbols for CRISIS are identical to those that are for the word OPPORTUNITY. In fact it's literally translated , "Crisis is an opportunity riding on dangerous winds."
Is that how you see the crisis in your life? Are the opportunities are land-mines to avoid?
God can take anything, even crisis to help us grow, mature, and even be more effective in this world.
Now I'm not saying, let's go try and make crisis situations pop up for the sake of making more drama. Rather, as crisis come to our lives, embrace them and learn from them. Actually step into them. With each crisis you have choices to make. As Jesus followers often the choice that wants us to take will create more crisis between family, friends, co-workers. You have a choice, a tough choice. Follow God no matter the cost. Or side step it and avoid it all together.
My heart wants to beat with the things of God so badly. Therefore I am a person of crisis and conflict.
Crisis and conflict, because I have chosen paths different that very good friends and bosses.
Sometimes our heart lead to make bad choices and we have a heart crisis that requires us to go backwards, repent, fix relationships and return more committed to God.
Sometimes our heart is so in tune with God we make new heart crisis develop.
So how do you handle crisis of the heart? Do you feel the winds of opportunity approaching or are you wanting the winds to fade away and not require you to make a heart choice.
Jesus said count the cost.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
One of my most recent crisis'...other than that constant one of not having a job I feel I can serve god with best...includes the fact that I crave fellowship connections so much right now, and even though that is very appeasable with my current situation back in Rochester again and surrounded by people who care about me....This passion for trying to make the world a better place for others is apparantly frustrating me again to the point that I believe things in my own life are not moving ahead quickly enough...that this self sacrifice, while rewarding...has become so frustrating from a feeling personally nurtured standpoint. I shared with a very good friend a few months ago how shocked I was at myself for being so jealous and envious of a new couple I know. Another good friend very recently shared that God will have a plan, and with that encouragement, I truly believe recent dreams I had are giving me hope that there will be a point coming that I will know why and how and what it is exactly that I can’t understand about where I am going in life. I also recently shared at LIFE group that I had slowed down greatly in my prayers, and had become frustrated with feeling god's presence recently, and that it felt like I was piloting an airplane in circles at forty thousand feet with a threat of the engines shutting down. How grateful I am that I've got some great co-pilots/engineers/flight attendants/air traffic controllers in my life right now! I'm a little lonely, but otherwise, Life Rocks!
I know longer am a part of the denomination that I grew up in. At the time, you would have thought the sky was falling, from my families perspective. It took a number of years for my family to see that I hadn't fallen away from the faith or joined a cult.
I admit that I avoid talking with my family about Journey Church or faith issues. The fact is that I know they don't get it. They are content in their little religious boxes. Maybe this is a copout on my part, but I see nothing gained by engaging them in discussion. If the Holy Spirit can't move them, then I sure won't be able to.
Post a Comment