NorthStar Community Daily Devotional

May 5

Scripture focus: For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to Sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. Ephesians 1:4-6 NIV

One of the treasures that I unconsciously return to is the desire for peace. I want a peaceful life. I want my sheets to be folded neatly in the linen closet; I want my car clean; I want my desk clutter free. I want people to behave, get along, not relapse, not make a mess of their God-created identity. I want adults to be nice to children and behave like grown ups, people to politely merge in traffic, and my husband to learn to love take out. This is how I unconsciously define peace. I believe that peace and love are like matching salt and pepper shakers. Love, I think, shouldn’t hurt.

Passion – derived from the Latin root passus, meaning suffering.

I experience uncomfortable feelings when my world is discombobulated, which means I am uncomfortable most of the time (with the exception of a fifteen minute window on Monday afternoons when my house smells like cleaning products and all the shoes are lined up like little matching soldiers in the closet). I am increasingly conscious of how this expectation for peace is like digging for treasure in a rocky field.

Bear with me as I try to explain. God has given us the gift of grace through his son Jesus. He loves Jesus; Jesus is his boy. His boy also suffered. Jesus made the decision to passionately love us and it was a suffering love. This is so huge that my mind cannot absorb the implications. We are chosen for adoption and we bear the title “child of God” when we make the decision to co-sign the adoption papers. But look at the expression of love in God’s family – it is passionate.

I realize that I thought getting adopted in God’s family would pluck me out of my disease, dysfunction and destiny. I thought if I got in the “right” kind of family, all would be well with my soul and my shoes.

Jesus was the sinless personification of peace. He was the perfect vessel of love. He was holy and blameless. But he was uncomfortable, aggravated, and even agitated along the way. Jesus was consciously uncomfortable in accordance with the pleasure and will of his Father.

Where are you digging for treasure? What do you desire passionately?


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