333 Words

333 WORDS….

Sometimes it’s painful to look at ourselves. But it should be a delight.

Coffee mug in hand, she begins the day looking in the mirror. “I have a lot of work to do!” So the applications begin until the person she is no longer resembles the person she is.

There was a day of contentment, way back in the beginning of her new life in Christ, but sadly, as passion for the Life-giver dwindled, contentment slowly evaporated, and now she settles for being enviable.

Determination and self-discipline on all levels are required to maintain the envy of others, and many fail miserably, settling for respect. Still others find respect too high of a reach and simply spend their day dodging criticism, resigning to insignificance. More degrading than insignificance is pity, to be avoided at all cost.

In christian society, as in secular, enviable is sought after, respected is accepted, insignificant is tolerated, and pitiable is ignored.

The answer to the dilemma of falling short is to stop looking in the mirror…. so to speak. If the sister with the mug set her gaze upon Him rather than herself she would be free of the draining competition, and regain lost contentment. Artificial would soon give way to genuine.

True, she really is a mess. Ravaged by sin, that of her own and that of others, the person she was meant to be will never be fully realized this side of eternity. Disappointments, betrayals, calamities, sicknesses and failures…. these have left their residue.

But look deeper. She is washed in the precious blood of the precious Lamb. She is clean and justified, even holy. Her attention is longed for by the Elite of the elite. Daily she gains sanity and satisfaction and sophistication.

As the door into the family of God is (faith in) Jesus, the door into contentment and purpose is (faith in) Jesus. If only the redeemed could grasp the enormity of the Redeemer’s Great Invitation, “Abide in Me, and I in you.”