Fulfilling the Heavenly Vision: We Do Recover

Ephesians 2:1-10

It is comforting how the Word of God extends to include recovering persons.

Some of us needed decades to learn how to obey God’s Word.  As explained in Ephesians 2:1-3, we were under the influence of a negative force.  Another way to say it is we decided to live life contrary to God’s Way and paid a huge price.

However, God’s mercy and redeeming nature granted us time and provided the resources necessary to meet “today.”  You know, this day, where you have an opportunity to live out the vision God has for your life.

How? 

The spiritual process looks something like this:  

Rejuvenated:  Before we even knew it, “God made us alive in Christ, even when we were dead.”  (Ephesians 2:5 NIV) 

God may have introduced you to Christ long before you began to live the life of recovery.  Or, maybe you can remember the moment when you had a spiritual awakening that brought your dead soul to life.  No matter how, when or how many times it happened, you have been rejuvenated – made young and alive again.

Restored – Then, through working the steps, prayer, meditation and consistently showing up at our places of healing, we experience restoration – being placed back in right relationship with God and Christ in the heavenly realm.  Why?  So God can show us off.  God wants the world to know that he can and will restore us.  And, His restoration power works through the kindness he has shown us through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:6-7 NIV reads, “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 

Recovered – We have been put back into the position where we can live out the heavenly vision God prepared in advance for us to do.  “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10 NIV)

This is the spiritual awakening for me.  I remember looking up the word “recover” when I first entered this process in the 90’s.  My question before God was this: “How is it possible recovering people can return to a state of health, mind and strength if we never had it?”

Considering the sin and dysfunction some children must endure, how is it possible we were ever in a healthy, strong state?  Many of our collective cultural histories include traumas and oppression that hindered the human soul.

But this text spoke to me.  It is like God is telling us we were, and still are, the best of God’s creation and we are returning to a former state, even if it only existed spiritually or at birth.

Now, we have an opportunity, for some a duty, to live out the plan – heavenly vision – God prepared in advance for us to do.

We do recover.  We do return to a healthy state of mind, body and spirit and have an opportunity to work out our soul’s salvation and draw others to Christ through our own unique creative gifts.

Go on – Recover.

Minister Michelle

Don't Hit the Panic Button

Don’t Hit the Panic Button

Exodus 14:10-14

The Israelites were scared.  Who could blame them? 

They had spent 400 years being slaves, endured Pharaoh’s resistance to letting them go (with their hopes going up and down), escaped (hallelujah), only to enjoy a few days of freedom and look up to see the Egyptians chasing them again!

Like, OH MY GOD!!

And they called God.  They were panicking.  Can you blame them?

And God’s response is…”Don’t panic.”

Errr…excuse me?, they responded.

Don’t panic, he says.

Through Moses, God tells his people:  “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  Exodus 14:13-14 NLT

We all get afraid.

We all have emotions.  Sometimes, our emotions lead us into doing things out of fear vs faith.  And, many of us take our emotional condition to God.

I like that this Bible I am currently reading suggested that the Israelites did the right thing by taking their fearful concerns to God instead of shaming them for being emotional.  Emotions are part of who we are.  And, like the Israelites, we can take our emotional responses about situations to God.  

In fact, I am sure many of us have gone to God with our emotional condition.  Fear, anxiety, agitation, anger, depression, hopelessness – the range of emotions during COVID-19 abound.

Yet, God is still speaking.

God is still offering Words of comfort.

               “Don’t be afraid.  I got you.  Stand still and watch me take care of the situation.  You will not have to deal with this again.  Know that, I will fight for you.  You just need to be still – trust me, endure this season and trust me.”

Amen.

Minister Michelle

Communal Empathy

Learning to stand in somebody else's shoes, to see through their eyes, that's how peace begins. And it's up to you to make that happen. Empathy is a quality of character that can change the world. - Former President Barack Obama

During COVID-19, it is apparent that people’s emotions are flared and tense.  Yet, we can make a commitment to practice empathy towards others.

Empathy is defined as the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, according to Merriam-Webster.

Understanding that we are all in this together is one thing.  Practicing forgiveness for perceived slights or tense emails is the spiritual part of empathy.  This is not a suggestion to hold people accountable.  But it is permission to pause and make a decision to overlook a slight.

These past six weeks, I have both heard and experienced reactions that were less than calm, serene and Christ-like.  I am sure I have been guilty of reacting inappropriately and unexpectedly.  For that, I ask your forgiveness.

Yet, what challenges me during this COVID-19 experience is to extend grace to others.  In other words, I can, and do, understand and share the feelings of others – from multiple communities and cultures.  As a grandmother, professional over 50 and a person of color with a compromised health status, I can relate to many different scenarios.  You can too.

We are, at times, stressed out, fearful, peaceful, joyous, grateful, sitting in the unknown and disgusted.  The list of emotional realities during this pandemic is endless. 

However, one thing we can all do is be empathetic towards each other.  Hold the communities we love and interact in with grace, solace and comfort.  Realize and remember that although this pandemic impact each of us, we can choose to overlook most reactions at this time because they come from a place of uncertainty, fear and loss.

Thanks for reading.

Minister Michelle