Unsettled Feeling
It is certainly a challenge for me to struggle with one of my colleagues at work. It is a challenge for me to have a certain level of expectations for someone, and to watch, listen, and experience the exact opposite. As I attempt my best human effort at this unsettling experience, pastor helps me by learning with me to 'have the mind of Christ' and encouraging me to do what is right. I can hardly imagine the unsettling feeling Jesus had as he was scoffed at, belittled, and rejected by nearly all of creation. I can hardly imagine the unsettling feeling He experienced in His moments of torture as He took on the sin of the world so that we might experience resolve with our Creator. This was highlighted to me again at our gathering on Sunday when we watched the movie MOST as a group. If you haven't seen it, go here, and get you a copy. You will not be disappointed, and you can bogo and send one to a friend. I digress.
So why is our natural reaction not the 'mind of Christ'? Aren't we telling the world we are 'Christians'? If we really believe in Jesus, shouldn't we be working to that end? To have the mind of Christ? And yet, I get that unsettled feeling of oppression and lack of acceptance. Imagine the unsettled feeling Jesus has when we don't tap into the power he displays through the Holy Spirit. These thoughts were confirmed to me this week as I read Mark 4:41, and his apostles that got to experience Jesus in real time asked: "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him?" But just before they said this, Jesus asked: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" I feel that He is trying to teach me something about this, and in moments of unsettledness (yes, my word, deal with it), I have calmed my feelings and physically taken a moment to think-what am I afraid of? The one that commands the wind and the waves is with me in this room, and I'm worried about how I feel? Not easy, but getting easier the more I realize I have nothing to fear, and that Jesus is with me.
As I rode my bike across the city this weekend, and as I ran through Prospect Park, I felt like God was saying to me: "This is life. That I am in you. That Jesus is in you. This is life." So I work to have Jesus reveal more to me each day, and when I feel unsettled, I press into it more, and ask Him what to do, or ask Him to calm me, or give me words, or answer a question, or guide my steps, or ............................... . Whatever the blank, I fear not, for Jesus lives in me. And that is life.
So why is our natural reaction not the 'mind of Christ'? Aren't we telling the world we are 'Christians'? If we really believe in Jesus, shouldn't we be working to that end? To have the mind of Christ? And yet, I get that unsettled feeling of oppression and lack of acceptance. Imagine the unsettled feeling Jesus has when we don't tap into the power he displays through the Holy Spirit. These thoughts were confirmed to me this week as I read Mark 4:41, and his apostles that got to experience Jesus in real time asked: "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him?" But just before they said this, Jesus asked: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" I feel that He is trying to teach me something about this, and in moments of unsettledness (yes, my word, deal with it), I have calmed my feelings and physically taken a moment to think-what am I afraid of? The one that commands the wind and the waves is with me in this room, and I'm worried about how I feel? Not easy, but getting easier the more I realize I have nothing to fear, and that Jesus is with me.
As I rode my bike across the city this weekend, and as I ran through Prospect Park, I felt like God was saying to me: "This is life. That I am in you. That Jesus is in you. This is life." So I work to have Jesus reveal more to me each day, and when I feel unsettled, I press into it more, and ask Him what to do, or ask Him to calm me, or give me words, or answer a question, or guide my steps, or ............................... . Whatever the blank, I fear not, for Jesus lives in me. And that is life.
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