It is not too late for a new beginning
This morning, when I was thinking about what I was going to be writing today I was reminded of the movie Star Wars, The Force Awakens. There are many heroes in the movie, many who fight and even die for noble causes but there are a couple that do not believe the description of hero is for them. They both feel like they are less than up to the task. Their pasts almost keep them from embracing their calls. I know lot of people feel that same way. They look at the things that they have been through and feel like they could never be anyone different than they believe they are. Let's look at them.
When we first met Finn, He did not have a name. He had a code. He was a storm trooper that ran from the Republic. He rejected who they told him that he was but still could not see himself as somebody else. Even as he is actively working against Kylo and the First Order, he could only see himself as a storm trooper. He hated the identity but felt trapped in it. The truth is that he was never a storm trooper. He was kidnapped and brainwashed. He did not choose to be who they tried to make him. Eventually, when he realized the stakes and knew that it was up to him to give the Resistance the boost they needed so they could be confident of attacking, he stepped up and acted. When it mattered, he turned around and stepped up.
The other person that was lost in a false identity at the beginning of the movie was Rey. She believes that she is just a scavenger. Han Solo is her hero, not because of his bravery in fighting for the resistance but because he was a well know scavenger and thief. She was excited to be flying the famed Millennium Falcon because it was Hans' ship. She did not know it but she was strong and noble. Luke's light saber chose her to be its holder. She was to wield it. She was a Jedi but only saw herself as a scavenger. She, like Finn ran from her calling. It was not until they were faced with destruction that she stepped into her identity.
Many can identify with one of these two. Maybe you are one of them. We have all made a lot of mistakes, even more, we have really hurt people that mattered to us. All of us have betrayed someone that we love at one time or another to some degree. It may have been unintentional but for many, it was a deliberate act that we chose that wounded them. It can be hard to look at the pain we have caused someone we care about and seek to repair the damage we have caused. It is humbling to know that we have the power to hurt people and could exercise it so carelessly. Often, people will fail miserably and it will push them away. They allow their embarrassment and shame to push them away from everyone and everything.
It is not uncommon to hear stories of people that are alone and hurting. I have talked to a lot of people that have similar stores. I screwed up and went to prison. I spent too much time with my secretary and things happened. I started going to the bar after work for a drink and that turned to two, three, four. Before you know it, I was coming in drunk after my wife was asleep every night. We never expected a pregnancy. The stories are endless but they all have one thing in common. Hearts were under attack and they adopted a new identity, the identity of a victim or of a scoundrel. They took on shame and let it drive them away from love.
When we look at Finn and Rey we can see stories of redemption. They give us hope for a few minutes but then we leave the theater and we do not see how they apply to us. They make for great story lines but the movie does not translate into reality in our lives. Even though they changed, I am unredeemable. Nobody can fix my mess ups. It is really easy to go into a downward spiral when we believe that we cannot fix the messes and nobody wants us anymore. Unfortunately there is a large segment of society that lives this way. They choose isolation and solitude rather than fighting for the people and relationships that matter. They would rather live in eternal rejection than face up to the pain they have caused, often the pain that they, themselves have carried for a lifetime.
Jesus came for these people. It was the broken, the hurt and hurting that He came for. The screw ups of the world were the people Jesus ran after. Jesus loved to spend His time with the outcast, the despised and lowly. He was not worried that their sin would rub off on Him. He sat and ate with them. He welcomed them to His table to sit and eat. He freely went into their houses to fellowship with them. Jesus loved people that knew they had been unlovable. He wanted to spend time with them and show them what His Kingdom looked like, what it meant to be loved. Jesus did not avoid the people that the world says should be avoided, but rather, He sought them out.
Mar 2:15-17 ESV 15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
Maybe you feel like you are beyond help. Maybe you believe that your family or former friends would ever forgive you. It is possible that you are one of those that ran away without explanation after you messed up. Maybe you stayed but were harsh and abusive. It is possible that your family and friends are not ready to welcome you back with open arms but Jesus is. He is waiting for you to turn and run back to Him.He has never stopped longing to be with you and have you turn back to Him. He also wants to help heal our broken relationships. He wants to guide us through the minefield of restoration. Where you cannot see a way, He will make ways. Come home.
The story of the woman at the well is the perfect example of this. She was a mess. She had been married numerous times and now was just living in open adultery. She was a Samaritan so that was another strike against her. She was buried in so much shame that she would go out to do her work in the heat of the day rather than risk seeing people that would ridicule her. Jesus knew her, everything about her. Culturally, He should not have even talked to her but instead, He offered her himself and His life. He called her to come to Him then she called all of the people together, the ones she was hiding from to tell who Jesus was and what He did for her. He did more to restore her in a few minutes than she could have in the rest of her life. He would like the opportunity to do the same for you.
You are not so broken that you cannot be fixed. You are not so far from Jesus that He cannot reach you. You have not run far enough that He has forgotten you. Jesus has not turned His back on you but rather His eyes are scanning the horizon for a sign that you have turned back to Him. He is waiting to restore you. Today is the best day to let Him.
If this blog is speaking to you, feel free to message me on facebook or email me at thegeokr@yahoo.com. I wold live to hear from you and tell you how much Jesus loves you. He is waiting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJvqmhGs1Y8
Give this a listen
When we first met Finn, He did not have a name. He had a code. He was a storm trooper that ran from the Republic. He rejected who they told him that he was but still could not see himself as somebody else. Even as he is actively working against Kylo and the First Order, he could only see himself as a storm trooper. He hated the identity but felt trapped in it. The truth is that he was never a storm trooper. He was kidnapped and brainwashed. He did not choose to be who they tried to make him. Eventually, when he realized the stakes and knew that it was up to him to give the Resistance the boost they needed so they could be confident of attacking, he stepped up and acted. When it mattered, he turned around and stepped up.
The other person that was lost in a false identity at the beginning of the movie was Rey. She believes that she is just a scavenger. Han Solo is her hero, not because of his bravery in fighting for the resistance but because he was a well know scavenger and thief. She was excited to be flying the famed Millennium Falcon because it was Hans' ship. She did not know it but she was strong and noble. Luke's light saber chose her to be its holder. She was to wield it. She was a Jedi but only saw herself as a scavenger. She, like Finn ran from her calling. It was not until they were faced with destruction that she stepped into her identity.
Many can identify with one of these two. Maybe you are one of them. We have all made a lot of mistakes, even more, we have really hurt people that mattered to us. All of us have betrayed someone that we love at one time or another to some degree. It may have been unintentional but for many, it was a deliberate act that we chose that wounded them. It can be hard to look at the pain we have caused someone we care about and seek to repair the damage we have caused. It is humbling to know that we have the power to hurt people and could exercise it so carelessly. Often, people will fail miserably and it will push them away. They allow their embarrassment and shame to push them away from everyone and everything.
It is not uncommon to hear stories of people that are alone and hurting. I have talked to a lot of people that have similar stores. I screwed up and went to prison. I spent too much time with my secretary and things happened. I started going to the bar after work for a drink and that turned to two, three, four. Before you know it, I was coming in drunk after my wife was asleep every night. We never expected a pregnancy. The stories are endless but they all have one thing in common. Hearts were under attack and they adopted a new identity, the identity of a victim or of a scoundrel. They took on shame and let it drive them away from love.
When we look at Finn and Rey we can see stories of redemption. They give us hope for a few minutes but then we leave the theater and we do not see how they apply to us. They make for great story lines but the movie does not translate into reality in our lives. Even though they changed, I am unredeemable. Nobody can fix my mess ups. It is really easy to go into a downward spiral when we believe that we cannot fix the messes and nobody wants us anymore. Unfortunately there is a large segment of society that lives this way. They choose isolation and solitude rather than fighting for the people and relationships that matter. They would rather live in eternal rejection than face up to the pain they have caused, often the pain that they, themselves have carried for a lifetime.
Jesus came for these people. It was the broken, the hurt and hurting that He came for. The screw ups of the world were the people Jesus ran after. Jesus loved to spend His time with the outcast, the despised and lowly. He was not worried that their sin would rub off on Him. He sat and ate with them. He welcomed them to His table to sit and eat. He freely went into their houses to fellowship with them. Jesus loved people that knew they had been unlovable. He wanted to spend time with them and show them what His Kingdom looked like, what it meant to be loved. Jesus did not avoid the people that the world says should be avoided, but rather, He sought them out.
Mar 2:15-17 ESV 15 And as he reclined at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 16 And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors, said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?" 17 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
Maybe you feel like you are beyond help. Maybe you believe that your family or former friends would ever forgive you. It is possible that you are one of those that ran away without explanation after you messed up. Maybe you stayed but were harsh and abusive. It is possible that your family and friends are not ready to welcome you back with open arms but Jesus is. He is waiting for you to turn and run back to Him.He has never stopped longing to be with you and have you turn back to Him. He also wants to help heal our broken relationships. He wants to guide us through the minefield of restoration. Where you cannot see a way, He will make ways. Come home.
The story of the woman at the well is the perfect example of this. She was a mess. She had been married numerous times and now was just living in open adultery. She was a Samaritan so that was another strike against her. She was buried in so much shame that she would go out to do her work in the heat of the day rather than risk seeing people that would ridicule her. Jesus knew her, everything about her. Culturally, He should not have even talked to her but instead, He offered her himself and His life. He called her to come to Him then she called all of the people together, the ones she was hiding from to tell who Jesus was and what He did for her. He did more to restore her in a few minutes than she could have in the rest of her life. He would like the opportunity to do the same for you.
You are not so broken that you cannot be fixed. You are not so far from Jesus that He cannot reach you. You have not run far enough that He has forgotten you. Jesus has not turned His back on you but rather His eyes are scanning the horizon for a sign that you have turned back to Him. He is waiting to restore you. Today is the best day to let Him.
If this blog is speaking to you, feel free to message me on facebook or email me at thegeokr@yahoo.com. I wold live to hear from you and tell you how much Jesus loves you. He is waiting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJvqmhGs1Y8
Give this a listen
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