July 12 - Mending Humpty Dumpty
Scripture focus: But in our time something new has been added. What Moses and the prophets witnessed to all those years has happened. The God-setting-things-right that we read about has become Jesus-setting-things-right for us. And not only for us, but for everyone who believes in him. For there is no difference between us and them in this. Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as sinners (both us and them) and proved that we are utterly incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. Out of sheer generosity he put us in right standing with himself. A pure gift. He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ. God sacrificed Jesus on the altar of the world to clear that world of sin. Having faith in him sets us in the clear. God decided on this course of action in full view of the public--to set the world in the clear with himself through the sacrifice of Jesus, finally taking care of the sins he had so patiently endured. This is not only clear, but it's now--this is current history! God sets things right. He also makes it possible for us to live in his rightness. We've finally figured it out. Our lives get in step with God and all others by letting him set the pace, not by proudly or anxiously trying to run the parade. God sets right all who welcome his action and enter into it, both those who follow our religious system and those who have never heard of our religion. But by shifting our focus from what we do to what God does, don't we cancel out all our careful keeping of the rules and ways God commanded? Not at all. What happens, in fact, is that by putting that entire way of life in its proper place, we confirm it. Romans 3:21 and following, selected verses from (The Message)
Lawrence Calhoun and Richard Tedeschi, professors at UNC-Charlotte, report that "Trauma can lead to positive change, improve relationships, the possibilities for one's life, a greater appreciation for life, a greater sense of personal strength and spiritual development...[there is] a basic paradox achieved by trauma survivors, that somewhere in they say, they now see their losses as producing valuable gains for them. They may find themselves becoming more comfortable with intimacy and having a greater sense of compassion for others who experience life difficulties."
Trauma tears us apart and God puts Humpty back together again. I pray you will allow God to knit you together, one stitch at a time, beginning today.
Recommended reading: Psalm 78-80
1 comment:
stitches? needles freak me out. i want novocaine to alleviate the pain, but like i said a second ago i hate needles. hate? scare the stuff out of me actually. can't i get gas to knock me out? oh, please? keep it bandaged up and clean? will it hurt when a new dressing has to be put on? you know, like stick to the hair? how long will it be before the stitches get taken out? can't i have self-dissolving stitches? will the scar go away? no? it'll be so obvious, people will ask me about it.
when i was a child, i spoke...thought...reasoned like a child. the story in my family was that when i was in kindergarten and needed immunization shots, it took several nurses to hold me down.
beloved, we are now god's children...
to receive and give love in community makes the stitching possibly bearable...god's love and healing and knitting us into a community drawn out of isolation is awesome.
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