The Gap

 I overheard a conversation the other day between my daughter and one of her best friends.  She asked him, "What sort of outfit do you think best describes my personality?"  To which he responded, "Adidas, leggings, and an oversized flannel."  My daughter is 16, so automatically she fell in love with his "image" of her.  And even though she doesn't see herself quite there yet, in terms of the unique style she's trying to master for herself, she appreciated his comments that left her feeling confident that she was headed in the right direction.  "Branding" herself, as she would say.

And something deep with me loved this simple exchange.  It was real and authentic and loving.  Kaleb seeing Chloe for not necessary how she is - but who she's trying to be.  The style she had been developing over time and the individualism she's attempting to craft.

And isn't that how our gracious, glorious God is with us?  He sees us - all that we are now - and looks through the lens of possibility and potential.  He sees us in our sin and looks beyond it to see the great achieve-ability we possess.  He sees the good even when what we see might be grim.  He looks at all of our weaknesses and sees the power that lies within us - the power and strength that He alone placed there.

It reminds me of the story of the apostle, Nathanial.  We don't know a lot about Nathaniel, and the Bible isn't very thorough in it's depiction of this man who followed Jesus closely along with the other 11 disciples, but we do, however, discover something special about him in John, chapter 1, verses 45-49.

"Philip found Nathanael and told him, 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'
^'Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?' Nathanael asked.
'Come and see,' said Philip.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, 'Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.'
^'How do you know me?' Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, 'I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.'
Then Nathanael declared, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.'

One of the sweetest exchanges in all of the Bible - and it's tucked neatly within a story of a person whom we know very little about.

Nathaniel.  A doubter?  Maybe.  A pessimist?  Perhaps.  A bitter disrespectful cynic?  Likely.  

But everything changed when Jesus spoke to his potential - all the while looking past his current personality. 

I call this the GAP.

There's a person I long to be.  A person you long to be.  And if we're persistent in our individual callings, we work toward the goal of aspiring to be more and more like that person every single day.  And in the middle between where I am and where I want to be is the G.A.P. - the Growth And Potential season.  And every one of us has been there.

And it's here in the GAP where Jesus loves us.  It's what unconditional love looks like.  Loving within the unlovely.

You see - Jesus doesn't look at who you are and where you've been - - He looks to who you CAN be and where you WILL go as long as you stay connected to Him.

And I am so forever grateful!

Because one look into my past, with all of my failing and failures, I am sure to disqualify myself for this gift of grace so freely given.  But Jesus whispers ... from there in the crowd... "Come, child.  I believe in you.  You may not have all that is takes now, but you are enough.  You are enough.  Come with all of your broken pieces and  the shattered image of yourself that you've been carrying around for far too long now... and watch what I'm gonna do!  I'm doing a new thing that's gonna blow your mind.  Ahh - if you could only see what I see.  You'd never doubt again.  So come, let's do big things, me and you.  I'm so in love with you!"

And maybe we need to write these words down somewhere we're going to see them regularly.  Because I have a sneaky suspicion we all need to hear them more often than we'd be willing to admit.

Oh friend - He's so wildly crazy about you!!

Go out today in confidence.
Embrace the GAP.
Thank God that although I'm not quite where I want to be - in His grace I am not where I used to be.  And that is enough for today.
I will keep pushing on.  Determining to hold tightly to the One who's love for me has never, ever, ever failed!

Marching Boldly Toward Home Plate,

Wendy

Intentional Investment

And I have been wrestling with this for months now.

Intentional Investment.

Because in this crazed me-first world, we can get so far off track from where Jesus intends for us to be.  Because... He was intentional.  He made time.  He stooped low.  A baby born in manger... a humble beginning that beckons a close examination.  Because He could've come as a King... a Warrior... a Giant among weak men... but instead we see Him enter the story of humanity through the service entrance.  We see Him strip away His "rights" to be broken and bled out for a world that didn't even welcome Him.

And this was intentional investment.  He came... He chose... He gave... He surrendered... He served... He yielded... because this was the way all along.

Intentional - done on purpose, deliberate.
The Father who could have rejected the ignorance of mere man... the One who could have turned His back on all who refused to believe.... didn't.  His way was intentional.  Impractical.  Inconvenienced. He lived His life by way of interruption which spoke of His grace and mercy and love.  Impossible love made possible.

And could that be the way I live my life?  This year?  A new year.  A new beginning.  One filled with hope for all that lies ahead.  Because this one life is all I have.  One life.  It's all I have.  And with everything in me I desire to make investments... intentional investments... that will outlive my short years here on planet earth.

Because I heard it said once, something that so resonated deep within my heart... "It's only your sacrifices that show up at your funeral."  And if this is true then there's way more work to be done.  Phone calls that need to be made, visits that need to happen, letters that need to be sent.  Who needs to hear from me?  Who needs help from me?  Who needs to be served?  Because my mission as a Christ-follower is to make His name famous.  And behaving so removed from the reality of the painful world around us... the one that is absolutely hemorraghing without Him... is behaving like I, myself, don't believe in the very thing I claim to put my trust in above everything else.

Investment - an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.
Worthwhile results?  Ahh yes... there it is.  His words spoken directly to my weary soul, "Well done, good and faithful servant."  Because when I stand before the gates of eternity, sweat on my forehead from the breaking and the giving and being Jesus to a world that didn't know... it is my one desire to hear Him say these words.

I must decide to live broken... so that the pieces of my fragmented self... the pieces of intentional investment... the pieces of willing servitude... permeate this fallen place.  Lord - when they see me, will they see You?  I am radically desperate for that.  Yes... that!

So - join me will you?  Don't let that relationship die!  Don't surrender to this idea that life is better lived closed in.  Don't go to bed angry.  Don't let unforgiveness reside within you.  Don't forget to ask the hard questions... Are you okay?  Why did you leave?  How are you, really?  Don't leave things unsaid.  Don't question intentions of others.

Be intentional.  Get your hands dirty.  Involve yourself with more than the four walls you've penned yourself in.  Invest.  Invite others into your story.  Be authentic.  Take the time to listen.  Devote yourself to something that will live decades after the days of your life come to an end.

This year I will do it.  I will live with intentional investment.  Because it's His story I'm responsible for making famous.

<3  Marching Boldly Toward Home Plate....

Wendy