Mission and Vision Part 5: BECOME
Find a quiet spot. Breath deep for 60 seconds.
On Sunday, I introduced Bree—a 16 year old with an itch to GO. Can you relate to Bree? I can. When I was 18 years old, I almost walked to British Columbia.
I had read Peter Jenkins 1979 book “A Walk Across America” and felt the need to GO—to get out there—to discover—to find myself and to literally ‘step into’ adulthood.
There is something appealing about the road—something dazzling about adventure. It is woven into the American Soul—to wander—to find ourselves by going and experiencing. You may have seen the t-shirt or bumper sticker:
“…not all who wander are lost…”
Implied is that as we stumble away from traditions and cultural norms we may appear to be displaced, but are really just on the way.
“On the way to where?” is the natural question. It is a most important question because at the end of every road taken is the destination. We arrive somewhere and that somewhere is the place we will be.
For Bree—who began trudging down the too slow highway with only her feet to carry her—she didn’t have the vision of where she would end up, she only knew that she no longer wanted to be ‘here’.
Our spiritual lives are similar. We know we don’t want to remain stuck here. But, we don’t precisely know where we are going and so we begin, but easily falter.
Jesus says,
37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
John 7:37–38 (NASB)
He says: “…come to me. Start towards me. Get on the road that leads to life.”
We begin with the end in mind—the end is Jesus through whom:
…we live and move and exist…
Acts 17:28a
In the story, I suggested that Bree must find a river. And GO TO IT. A river has already found its way through the mountains and valleys and heads out to sea. Jesus is the great sea, but he is also the way to the sea—the way to himself is through himself. Recall that he said, “I am the Way…”
We abide in Jesus by starting with Jesus. And, surprisingly, Jesus has not only given us himself, but he has given us his body. Jesus said:
“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
Matthew 18:20 (NLT)
We go to the river of life by going to the body of Christ. Yes, we can reach for him individually and on our own, but it is important for us to understand that the Way of Jesus is found and lived out WITH other apprentices to Jesus.
Today, reach out to your Community Group or some of your Christian friends. Recommit to meeting with them. Enjoy their company and seek to find Christ among yourselves. This is the Way of Jesus—with others. And, on that well-worn path of faithfulness, we find Jesus and become more like him.
