Our route got switched from Nicaragua to Guatemala
I drew you in with Nicaragua, but I’ll blow your mind in Guatemala
I left my ukulele on the bus to our ministry site
Again, your identity is not reliant on being a worship leader
My hard drive died, and I lost footage and photos from before and during the Race
I have an abundance of stories for you to tell
The first week of the Race felt like a lot of small things were going wrong over and over. And each time, God looked at me with the kind eyes of a Father and urged me –daughter, be still, I am here, and I am good. Trust in what I have for you.
Christianity has a lot to do with loss. God calls us to lose our lives to find Him. Paul says that:
“More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them filth, so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him” – Philippians 3:8-9
Paul doesn’t even value the things he has on this earth because knowing God is infinitely better. Partnering with Jesus is always sweeter than the best things we have here on earth. But, what does Paul say is the product of suffering the loss of all things? Gaining Christ and being found in Him. When I read that a few days ago I had to stop and reread. Gain Christ? Like own Him? And what does it mean to be found in Him? Who even says that??
Let’s break this down… gaining Christ could be a phrase used for the sake of contrasting with the loss of other things. So, he loses reputation, possessions, and relationships, but doesn’t really see these as loss because what he has gained (a relationship with Jesus) surpasses those losses in every way. Easy enough, all checks out here.
But, found in Him? How do you get found in someone else? And what need is there to be “found” at all? My study Bible says that “found” refers to judgement day, like being found “not guilty” because of the sin-covering blood of Jesus. But, what else could founding mean? Founders are people who create something – so could being found in Him refer to the founding of our faith and our new life? What about literally being found – like being discovered? When people see me, do they find that I am a part of Christ’s flock? Does it mean to know Him and to be known by Him? Found so deeply that Jesus and I are intertwined and inseparable – so if someone interacts with me they also find that Jesus is present? (does it mean Christians are particularly good at finding?)
I think all these things can be true within this one small piece of a verse (funny how the Bible is so multidimensional, it’s like it’s the living word of God or something), but as I meditate on what it means to be found, all these things I’ve lost as the Race began get smaller and smaller.
I’m losing first world comforts
I’m found in Jesus
I’m losing money
I’m found in Jesus
I’m losing control over my schedule and what I want to do
I’m found in Jesus
I’m losing my plan, my way, and my desires
It’s all in exchange for the overwhelming gain of knowing, really knowing, Christ.
“They are focused on earthly things, but our citizenship is in heaven” – Philippians 3:19-20
grace + peace
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