. . . even the word itself appears on the screen as "awkward"
the spelling never looks quite right, and to say it requires an odd effort.
So what does this word have to do with following Jesus?
This past weekend a group that I am involved in at school went on a retreat to the mountains to escape the stress of daily life and focus our attention on God and one another; however, God had something else in store. While the weekend definitely provided much needed rest and time away from what has become "real life", it also provided many more challenges than I was anticipating.
We recieved several talks over the weekend from Pastor John Stone and he began to open our eyes to the life that we should be receiving in death. Death to ourselves provides life in Christ. All the while I am simply mulling over the fact that I have heard this before. Although the phrase has become common- my practice of this phrase is far from common. Furthermore, in order to truly exiplify Christ not only are we going to have to choose to allow Him to thrust us out of our comfort zones- We are going to be awkward.
How? you might ask. I began to think about the life of Christ and as I did so, it became rather evident how awkward Christ was in his life here. He was born in a barn to begin with (a birth he chose for us). Then, his parents were looked down upon because of his birth. And there are more and more examples that appear the more we learn about him. But, of course, the ultimate example of his awkwardness comes in his death. A man that has existed before the world began, possessing power that the human brain cannot fathom, allows himself to be humiliated, taunted, beaten, bloodied, broken, and crucified . . . that is awkward. His death made people uncomfortable. His death makes people uncomfortable.
So why do i assume that to profess my faith in him and in his life and his death and his resurrection and his love . . . why would i not think this to be an awkward profession to make in a world that does not understand nor seem to care?
Jesus came to a place that was not is home. He was a foreigner and it was awkward. i am also in a place that is not my home and it is awkward, not only for me, but, hopefully, for those around me.
The gospel, the life of Jesus should make people uncomfortable. And I should not be afraid to admit that and believe it and life it. But sometimes- i am.
"That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Cor.12:10
