Choosing To Live

What if the Gospel is really choosing to live?

One of the things I love about Jesus is that He rarely rescued people.  Instead he invited them to participate with Him in their own restoration.  He invited them to get up, to step out, to take up the mat, and to feed the people.  I love this.

We often think of Christianity as something God does through us.  And to a certain extent, this is true.  Following Jesus is a life empowered by the Holy Spirit.  It’s a process of surrendering to a God who works through us, and in us, and for us.  But to some extent we can take this for granted.  We say things like, “God, take this fear from me,” assuming God does everything and we do nothing. We’re bystanders in the cosmic process.

But what if instead of rescuing us, God is waiting for us to set it down, to let it go, and to leave it behind?  What if it is us who won’t let go.  What if the very thing we expect God to do for us, is something He is waiting for us to do for ourselves.

And this act of participating with God, becomes our restoration.  It becomes our path towards maturity and wholeness.  Will it be risky?  Sure.  But that’s what grace is for.  Because the reality is that fear is part of the journey, but so is choosing to live.