Can I be real about something? (Insert a picture of me patiently waiting…) I am so far from perfect that I believe we live on different planets…literally. The last perfect being that walked this earth ascended before our current set of years (get it, After Christ’s Death… even though anno domini means “in the year of the Lord”).
So when I speak about my Christian walk, someone else’s walk, or life in general I do so with a lens of GRACE.
That’s what Jesus’ sacrifice afforded us. Wrapped in our salvation, with a bow of “Never Would Have Made It…” and sprinkled with “Just For Me….” confetti, is the ability to extend grace. You see, we are disciples of Christ, as believers. Therefore, we have an example of what is supposed to happen. If ANYONE’s salvation was predicated on me being crucified for them, we are all going to hell. Because, (insert lonnnng dramatic pause) I couldn’t do it. Jesus KNEW why He came to earth. He did what the Father sent Him here to do, KNOWING. Can you stop and digest that for a second. Really. Think “garden of Gesthsemane”… somewhere around Mathew 26:36. Sweating blood before He shed His blood. That’s heavy. Just literally, imagine the weight of the world. I am SO glad, that Abba Father didn’t ask me to go. I don’t qualify, but stay with me here.
With all of that out there… can we talk about fruit for a second? No, not the kind you eat, because I don’t. Eat fruit that is. Those who know me personally, know that if you see me eating fruit it’s either life of death. Life because I am pregnant, or a requirement so that I don’t die. Thankfully, neither of those are upon me, so I stay away from the stuff (sans juice or avocados….I actually like them now). The fruit I am referring to is the character displayed, integrity deployed, and the stuff that speaks of you when your name comes up in the minds, hearts, and mouths of others. While we can’t determine what people’s motives are when they speak of us, we can control what we project.
WHAT DO YOU GIVE PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT?
If you are operating with fruit that looks like the Tree, something ought to be different about you. Jesus Christ was NOT the status quo. He was not the common, or the normal, or the conformist. So… you probably won’t be either. The world may not agree with you honoring marriage vows, or being kind, or loving people who aren’t like you…but isn’t that what our Savior taught us? While I am grateful for the ability to instantly connect with loved ones, flirt every now and again, share awesome messages or artwork (shout out to http://www.annlettered.com), and look up news for my cable-less life, sometimes I can’t stand the internet. YES, I SAID IT. The internet has turned up the “I don’t measure up to so-and-so” comparison problem. The internet makes you think that cuffing season has an off season…
(sips ice water)
For the believer, you should always be about the business of love. Singles… love God and love people. Married people… love God, your Spouse, and people. Is that love the same? Nope. But is it relevant? Yup! I could like insert appropriate scriptures here… but you can also head over to www.google.com and google them. Yup. There’s that internet again. Because if I say use the concordance, how many people know what in the world I’m talking about?
Being kind. It’s not innate people. You have to work at being kind. We find it easy to be kind to people who reciprocate it, and horribly difficult to be kind to people who don’t deserve it by our standards. That’s not Bible. Or how about endurance. I am the first to say that my job weaves frustration in to my life for several reasons and seasons every year. That drive to pray for and look for a way out comes up…often. However, I know good-and-well how much my prayers will be answered with a NOT YET if I haven’t completed the assignment I was sent here to complete. Therefore, I am to endure. My job is actually pretty sweet on most days. The days when it’s tough, I have to think about the fruit I bear. If I remember who I am following, I can hold on to the Vine that gives me strength. Yes… insert “that was real churchy”, or cliché, or whatever you want to categorize it as, because it’s my truth.
Our fruit should indicate similarity to the tree we come from. Like it or not, we all resemble something.
Go love today. Extend Grace. Like, Comment, and Share.
Ivy Out
Andonnia's Truth 