I’ve always wondered why according to the Bible, God chose Israel as the nation he would use to reveal himself. It seems unfair that he would exclusively choose one people group while the rest on humanity was left to fashion together their own concepts of who he/she/it is. It’s the reason there are thousands of religions to this day and raises the question, what makes the God of the Bible any different?
I was in Thailand reflecting on this question and a simple word came to mind: heart. I was taken back and quickly opened up a map. Geographically, modern-day Israel is in the middle of earth right around the same area that the heart rests in every human. Could it be that God was far more strategic when he chose this region than we think?
I believe everything physical on earth points to a deeper, spiritual phenomenon. All throughout the gospels, Jesus uses analogies and parables to paint a picture of the corrupted heart of man and how he came to restore our brokenness. It really should not come as a surprise that God would chose one broken family in the heart of the earth as the catalyst of his ultimate plan to restore the heart of humanity. I mean, isn’t that what he does in each of us individually?
It amazes me that the Bible is full of stories about people who failed time and time again. It’s not painting a picture of human perfection because, outside of Jesus, all fell short. I know I can relate to this in my own life. I grew up in the Catholic Church so I was always cognizant of what sin was and that Jesus came to save us from it. The mere knowledge of this, however, did not effect change in my heart.
I remember when I first learned to lie. I would get caught up in webs of the most pointless lies in order to appear innocent—even at a young age, I was aware of what I was doing. As I grew older, I learned how to cover up the areas I fell short. It began with exposure to pornography when I was young which led to an addiction. Then came drinking underage, having sex, seeking validation and a ton of confusion about my identity. All of these things were accumulating in my life, ultimately leading to a tarnished heart. The worst part is, I was completely naive to the effect it had on me. It was easy to hide behind the image I had built. One of a strong girl who went to church, was high achieving in school, admired by my family, and seemingly confident. But the truth is, I was lost.
At the sermon on the mount, Jesus says,
“What bliss you experience when your heart is pure! For then your eyes will open to see more and more of God.”
??Matthew? ?5:8? ?The Passion Translation
I love the way this is written in this translation! And it’s so true, when I finally decided to cut these things out of my life and allow God to transform my heart, I started experiencing bliss like never before. It took my friend, Hannah, investing in me and putting her life on the line so that I would experience the fullness of who God is. I’d be lying if I said I stopped everything cold turkey, however, with a heart change anything that remains is no longer done in a deconstructive way or rooted in a broken heart.
So far on the Race, God is still pulling weeds from my heart and replacing them with good fruit. It’s a lifelong process, really. My life is just a micro example of the macro transformation of people on earth that God started through that broken family in Israel millenniums ago. To answer my question from before, I believe The God of the Bible is different because not only is he rooted in love, but he takes the time to help us look more like him. He’s patient and truly cares about the heart–even geography is proof of it.
And there is still so much work to be done. What would the earth look like if we all decided to let God into our hearts? If we started seeing love as sacrifice and actually did something to ease the pain of others? If we were willing to lay our lives down for the greater good?
Though we may never know the answers to these questions here on Earth, we have the promised an eternity of this world. You guys, it really is all about love!! Man, so freaking cool!
QUICK LIFE UPDATE
I write this from a small village in Lesotho called Mokhotlong. I’m living in a compound with 18 of my squad mates, our host Elijah, and three awesome dogs. This month we are working with Harvesters Bible Church and serving at several of their ministries such as a soup kitchen, construction, school, jail, and hospital. We wake up every morning to beautiful mountains, brisk air, and roosters. I get WiFi once a week just to post blogs so I’ll be pretty off the grid this month.
Much Love,
Stella
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Thanks for reading and following along! Check out my recap video from Asia If you haven’t yet 🙂
IG: @stellaagee
YouTube: Stella Udeozor
