You ever heard those psycho sayings like, "The pain helps you know your alive," or "bleeding means you ain't dead." Psycho right. But could they be on to something. You ever watched the guy who's shot in the movies. When do they get most scared? When they stop feeling, when they begin to go numb.
Jesus in the Sermon on the mount say's some crazy things too. Very similar things to the psycho sayings above actually. He say's "blessed are those who mourn," "blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness," and "blessed are you when people insult you because of me." Could it be that in these seasons are the season's when we really find life. Too many times these things cause me to instead of embrace life, numb out. Could it be that when we numb out we stop risking and when we stop risking we stop living? Could it be that real living is feeling deeply and in feeling deeply embracing risk and adventure.
Numbing out is going through life, living is embracing life. That means the ups and downs, the successes and failures, the risks and the rewards. It means faith that God turns "mourning to gladdens" and pain into blessing. It means opening up your heart instead of closing it off. The minute we shut our heart down is the minute we shut down, our dreams, our potential, and our hope. This Christmas what if we opened our hearts completely to God and allowed ourselves to feel deeply again, to risk a little in our relationships, and to embrace a season of hope marked by the birth of a king, the hope of the world, Jesus Christ.
To do this try reading scripture. When you engage scripture you are not allowed to numb out. It won't let you. It calls into your deep and musters up life from there. It pierces your heart with it's truth and excites real living. Also, try loving a little. Taking the risk in a relationship to say an "I'm sorry" instead of waiting for one. Extend a thoughtful gesture to someone you don't know to well yet. Try worshiping. Choosing thankfulness over despair, prayer over frustration. Try thanking God for the harder times that reminds you your alive and that your not alone there. Try thanking God for his presence, in faith, even when you don't sense it. Try living this
Christmas.
Phillip Woody
phil@ridetheriver.org
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