Saturday, June 22, 2013

The Underdog.

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree:
as told by Kaitlin.

Luke 13: 6-9

" A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener,  'I've waited three years, and there hasn't been a single fig! Cut it down. It's just taking up space in the garden."

**Pause at this point for commentary thoughts**


"Aggh. Okay, I know what happens next. This is the part where you say 'Chop it down dude! Throw it in the fire!' 

There isn't any room for fruitless trees, I know, I know.

And then as I continue to read, I was baffled by what Jesus (the gardener) said to the man.


"The gardener answered, 'Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I'll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs, next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down."


Hmmm. I'm pretty sure I've read this story before, but it has never struck me like this.


Different situations began flooding my mind of times that I treat people like the impatient man yelling at the gardener saying "Cut down the tree already! It's a waste."


Like the person that goes to church that can never seem to 'get it right.'

Those that raise their hands in worship, yet lead a totally different life when they leave the door.
The alcoholic friend who promises a thousand times they'll stop, and they continue.
The needy person who keeps promising to turn their life around, yet continues begging for  your money, a shelter, and food. 
The flaky friend that makes empty promises and commitments that leave you angry and disappointed.
People that do wrong, blasphemous, or violent things under the name of Jesus.
Cut them down Jesus!

But Jesus responded to this man in a way that defies all logic and all reasoning. 

"Let them have just one. more. chance"
"Let me love them, and give them special attention"

All throughout the Bible, Jesus continually roots for the underdog.



un·der·dog

  [uhn-der-dawg, -dog] 
noun
1.the competitor least likely to win a fight or contest
2.a person in adversity or in a position of inferiority


Rarely ever does Jesus focus his attention on the 'righteous' or 'religious leaders'. No, He came to save what was lost. Those who were broken. The weak who without Him, had nothing going for them. Those who needed someone just to give them one more chance and rip off the label that declared them to be worthless, purposeless, a waste.

In a world that believes that the "Survival of the Fittest" is the way we should live, it is so easy for us to develop a temperament that screams self achievement,  all the while forgetting about the grace that has pulled us through in the first place.

All of us are broken, and are in desperate need of someone to give us a second chance. 

It's easy to give up on those who have continually disappointed us, yet so hard to realize the amount of times we should have disappointed Jesus. The many times He should have just given up on our stubbornness and moved on to someone who would be more receptive. 

But instead, 
He saw us, and pleaded on our behalves to just have a little more time with us.
A little more time to work on our hearts so that one day they would come to love Him. 

Aye. 


Unfortunately, judgment is so much easier to dish out than grace sometimes. 

But thankfully, Jesus came to restore that in us, and make us a people that choose to be people's advocates rather than their adversaries. 

What a sweet, and a loving 'Gardener' we have in Jesus.


We thank You for always rooting for us: your crazy, messed up kids--

The Underdogs.



Saturday, June 1, 2013

A Piece of Gum.




So, if you know anything about me, you know that I used to have a SERIOUS gum addiction. I'm talkin' about a pack a day kind of addiction.

15 Sticks= One Day= In One Mouth, well maybe a few mouths.

Because I was notorious for always having gum, that meant everyone and their mom always knew the go to girl for a good chew.  Well, I had one particular individual that almost every day for two years would say "Do you have gum? Can I have some?" So, very frequently I would pull out a piece of gum (with a fake smile-- Yes, that's right. Don't even lie by telling me you give away gum cheerfully), and say Sure! And give one to them.
I've come a long way though, I no longer have an addiction to gum. However, one night I was really craving some. So, I saw that this person (discussed earlier) was giving out a piece to a friend, so I asked if I could have a piece. This person said "Ahh, here." And ripped a little piece off and gave me 2/3 of a stick. WHAT?! Was my first reaction. So I popped the fragment of gum in my mouth and started thinking: " I have given this person like a thousand pieces of gum, and when I ask for one, I get a little chunk! Hmmph." -.-

Oh, and we all know moments like these are all great teaching opportunities for Jesus. So here he comes with His soft whisper:
" Kaitlin, how often do you give me just a "segment" of what I have given you and blessed you with, when I have given you so much?"
---Yeah Kaitlin, why DO you do that!---
Dang it.
No longer am I disappointed in the person next to me, I'm disappointed in myself!

So often when God asks for something of ours whether it be time, money, a relationship, an opportunity, a possession, we usually do one of two things:
1. But Goooooooood, It's mine.
2. Or, we say okay "Fine." And give him just a small portion that won't compromise our comfort or cause us pain.

Romans 12:1-2 says:
"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

We are beckoned to give ourselves up as a sacrifice--
The kind He will find acceptable.

Not 1/3, 1/2, or 3/4 of my life-- All of it. 

The true way to worship the Father is through surrender. 
______________________________

sur·ren·der [suh-ren-der]:
verb
1. to give oneself up, as into the power of another; submit or yield
______________________________

Most would agree that when we are told to surrender our lives to God, the first fear that comes to mind is that God is going to take all the good things away. Which He might..  to replace them with the best things. In the verse above, it talks about giving up our lives to God and letting Him transform us which, in turn, opens the doors for us to know His will for us-- Which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Surrender is usually painful because it is the very thing we don't want. Our flesh wants what our flesh wants. By surrendering, we are laying down our control over these very things and submitting it to the Lord. However, surrender is an act of forming our will to His, which in the end is an incredibly beautiful thing. And like mentioned before-- His will is good, pleasing and perfect.

It comforts me to know that God is always for our good--Especially in the times when He does take something away, and we are left waiting for what comes next. 

But we can stand firm in our surrender knowing that

"The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right."
Psalm 84:11