I post alot of nice pictures. Pictures of me with cute children. Pictures of fun off days, pictures of amazing God stories, and sharing of amazing, incredible testimonies.
But it’s not all great views, cute kids, and fruit. There is a great deal going on behind that “cute picture”. There is intense, messy, ugly things we must see, go through, and overcome to draw out the good. We have mourned with believers at the cost of Faith. Prayed through confusing situations, and learned to Trust God in the hard things. It is not easy hearing and partaking in stories of loss, and pain for the sake of the Gospel.
We must be very cautious as christians to not just look at the surface. Jesus rarely answered the surface questions asked by the pharisee’s instead he looked deeper into their hearts and answered that question. It is easy to look at a christian who has it “ all together” (whatever that means?), and conclude that he or she has been pampered into that place. Without even asking a question, we assume that person has it all together, always has, and that they know nothing about life. That is a great tactic of the enemy’s though!
People look at me and say “wow, he is just going for it and has it all figured out”. I can understand how it looks that way. But today I want to share the ugly part. I am naturally (as a Christian and new, unique creation in Christ) a very joyful guy. Which often gives off the vibe I have it all figured out. Which is funny to me since I do not even have any idea what Tomorrow will bring, anymore than the next guy. But let’s talk about the “hard part” the bible calls sanctification.
Salvation is a free gift offered to us, by God our Father through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Sanctification is different though, it costs everything. It is the shedding of the flesh, and the revealing of the spirit. It is the “dieing to self” that the bible refers to so often. It means giving our very lives, so we can have life. It is the being submitted to the Father’s will so we can walk in freedom. Sanctification is a small path covered with overgrowth, uneven ground, and obstacles. The question is are we up for the challenge?
Confused yet? Good. What a great place to be in! Confusion causes us to ask intense questions. That is if we wish to truly seek and follow Jesus.
The race isn’t just a cool, awesome journey. It is hard. I have had to say goodbye to communities I just finished pouring everything into for a month. It means making strong friendships, then saying goodbye on a regular basis, unknown if you will ever see that person again. Trusting God that the time and energy invested will produce fruit. Then going even harder the following month. It’s a constant adaption to the needs of others and a 24/7 servanthood job. It is investment in others kingdom dreams. Knowing that their dreams are Gods. It is believing in people, because God believes in them and says it is more than worth it.
I have said goodbye to my family for a season of life twice now. I have had to miss both Christmas, and Easter. Had to leave a career behind in a very successful company, with good pay. Friendships have been put on hold. All so I could leave and be in a constant state of travel. With sickness hitting often, unhealthy weight loss, and a constantly changing diet. Being misunderstood and unable to communicate with the major population of each country, unless through a translator. It means being laughed at by locals for yours and others absolutely crazy idea’s. It means not being believed in at times by friends.As well as an expectation of constant growth through feedback sessions which has meant constant refinement through the guidance of whichever team I am with that month.
But this isn’t a “pity party for Thomas” blog. This is actually a celebration of sanctification and an invitation to look at life’s difficulties differently. My faith has cost me alot. It is still often hard to talk about, but there is so much beauty in journeying with God. Yes my Faith has hurt my family, cost me numerous friendships, affected potential relationships, my career, and my pride. But THE FRUIT HAS BEEN LIFE!!!! And life to it’s fullest. The relationships, and connections that fell off were unhealthy in one fashion or another. What I gained was revelation of who I was. Discovery of Identity, the identity that my Father, and Creator gave me! It has fulfilled parts of my heart that I was blind to being empty! I have had more freedom (and ironically financial freedom) to love out of my Father’s heart and not my wallet. I have been able to travel the world not just once now, but twice! I have been able to experience the world’s culture in the unique ways I once only dreamed of. Once I gave my life to Christ I got my creativity back. But that meant shedding the flesh to reveal my true self. Which WAS NOT the summary of my fleshly desires. Before Christ I would only imagine going places and seeing things in a secular sense. Because sin kills creativity. I PVR”D the same show everyday, watched the same series over and over only dreaming of visiting the worlds, and locations the movies did. I would often say the phrase “one day I will…..” fill in the blank.
Once I started the process of sanctification, and dying to the flesh, it sucked. I had to forgive old enemies, let go of things I couldn’t control, and hand current, fresh hurts and pains to God, laying it at his feet for the FIRST TIME ever. I had to deal with my luggage, through tears, tearing down walls of fear, and facing the pain of many years of hurt. I had to forgive good people, and bad people alike, (whatever I meant by good and bad that is). It was finally time to cut chains that I through the years learned to love! It meant not being a victim, and it meant having to stop throwing pity parties. But I was far from alone.
The craziest thing happens when you submit yourself to God. He surrounds you with his love, his people, and his healing power. Think about it, everyone who came to Jesus was either healed, or pointed to what they needed to do to submit to his will (so that he could heal them).
It was like renovating. I had let go of my attachment to old, worn furniture and now there was so much room to fill with new, nicer better things. I started realizing and partaking in community I could only dream of. I made new friendships that had healthy boundaries, and people started uplifting me, and I dared to make a reality of the aspirations I had. My confidence grew, my sphere of influence expanded, then my attitude and outlook changed (into the now joyful person you know).
Suddenly I found myself acting, investing, and changing life into what I saw the the Father doing with it, which also lined up with what I always desired anyways, he was just showing the way. The lightbulb was starting to light up! Suddenly Life didn’t look like a dark haunted house where every room offered a different new, hope killing horror, in which I could not escape.
Instead it equipped me to build my own home off of the blueprints of the Father. Which in the end was WAY cooler than I ever imagined. I must say it is a beautiful design, and FAR from being finished. I couldn’t even tell you what the next phase of construction will look like, other than it won’t look pretty initially. You have to empty the lot before building a house. The bigger the mansion the more emptying required, and his kingdom is pretty big. That my friends is the process of sanctification. It is the narrow untraveled path. The fear facing, life altering facts of not just being a Christian, but a Christ follower. This is the hard part friends. But it is the best part. God wants to use those “obstacles” of the world, the enemy, and life to further sanctify you, and make you into who you actually are! Hebrews 12 talks about how “God disciplines the one he loves”. So let us “endure hardship as discipline”.
Salvation is free, and total sanctification is not necessary to enter heaven. But why not go for it? In the end it is a blessing. It’s going to look ugly before it looks pretty. It is going to take time, and a great deal of work, but so was anything ever that was great. Look at the Mona Lisa, the Great Pyramids, the Sistine chapel paintings and anything that was ever great. Look at David, Moses, Peter, or Paul. God did a great work through them, and he wants to do that through you to! It is just going to take hard work, dedication, and humility to start.
If God made this world, then I would list him as the greatest of all the visionaries, so why not give his sanctification a shot? The worst thing that can happen is you enter heaven looking more Christ like, and with fewer regrets.
