Are You Radical?

Radical hope, faith, love, joy.  When I first heard about the campaign and we talked about getting back to the roots of Christianity, I though that the items in the list of "radical elements" were things that I had licked.  This campaign was going to be for someone else and I was going to coast through this six weeks. 

Famous last words (well, famous last thoughts). 

This six weeks has proved to be grueling for me.  The struggles that I have faced as I let my spiritual guard down have been overwhelming at times.  The battle has raged during fall campaign for us as individuals and as a congregation.  Satan has been playing hardball and he's hit us low and dirty.  Personally, I have been angry, confused, frustrated, lost, doubting, and a list of other emotions that are all negative.  I have hardly felt joy or hope or love.  I have felt much more like I was manifesting acts of the flesh (anger, rage, hate, discord, selfish ambition) rather than the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:19-26). 

As we draw to a close of this campaign I am grateful for God's goodness and His never failing love.  I am so thankful that even as I have not proven myself a mighty warrior during this time that He has and is lovingly showing me where my weaknesses are, where I must rely more on Him, and how to be better prepared for the next battle I face. 

You see, His mercies are new every morning.  His faithfulness is great.  As Jeremiah said, "The Lord is my inheritance; therefore,  I will hope in Him!" (Lamentations 3:22-24)  Because of God's goodness, I can say with confidence,  "I am radical".  I hope you are, too. 

Spiritual BiFocals

As I mature as a Christian I thought that my vision for things that are spiritual would get sharper, that I would see things a little more clearly and understand a little better.  What I wasn't ready for was the fact that God is going to help me see more clearly, i.e. I have been given a prescription for spiritual bifocals.  b i f o c a l s Glasses that have two lenses in one and are required by the aging (I wasn't ready to include myself in that group).  Formerly the lenses were clearly separated by a heavy line in the middle but current technology now seamlessly blends the two panes into one lens.  Bifocals have two parts:  one part that corrects for near vision and one for distant vision (www.m-w.com/bifocal)  These are required when my eyes can't see everything on their own the way that they should.  


Spiritual bifocals.  Who knew???


The reason that I find I need spiritual bifocals is that I have trouble sometime focusing on the short term and the long term aspects of Christianity.  I tend to either say, "I know I will get my reward in heaven" and forget that God actually wants to provide blessing to me in this world, too, or I look through a blurred perspective and think, "I don't care about the long-term gain; this short term hurts too much" and then I decide that I don't want any part of it.  

I need spiritually corrective lenses to help me see both of elements of Christianity.  For instance, I need these glasses to remind me that turning the other cheek today doesn't mean that I am loser (which feel like sometimes when I turn the other cheek) because God's word tells me that I am victorious in Him (Romans 8:37).  

I'm interested to see what other aids God is going to provide me as I age in Him.  I would guess that there is a hearing device and as well as some sort of filter for brain-to-speech functionality in my future.  Possibly even a heavenly Rascal for when I am too tired to move and God is going to carry me for a while.  I know this much:  because they come from my heavenly Father, I welcome them. 


Bring on the miracle ear!