Do you ever think about the Gospel?
This week, while I was spending time with my cousin Jen, I realized how I don’t regularly think about the Gospel. Jen is so beautifully grounded and surrendered to Christ that it just exudes from her. It’s magnetic and beautiful. As we talked about a passage we were reading it occurred to me just how deeply she must think on the Gospel.
I know the gospel. I love the gospel. But am I allowing it to sink deep into my soul? To teach me Who this God and Jesus is and how deeply I’m loved?
So with this strong yet peaceful desire for the Gospel to be vivid in my life, Jen let me borrow a book about what the Gospel’s presence can do and I went about my week simply allowing this thought to steep within me whenever it came up.
In my morning readings I decided to read the Gospel of John (what a better way to allow it to reach me than by actively reading it?!). Today as I was reading I came across John 3 and Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus. First of all, how incredible is it that this hugely important conversation made it into the Bible when it was a private conversation had in the dark of night? Yea, I think that’s pretty cool. Anyway, back to Faith.
I read this passage as Jesus is trying to describe how the Gospel works:
“So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
“You can’t explain.” Jesus’ saying Faith can’t be made plain, clear, understood by analysis and intellect hit me as comforting. Now why would communicating certain uncertainty within Faith be comforting?
Because to understand me is to know I like explanations. I like clear cut, easy to understand, figured out, concrete ways of doing things and seeing life. But, as with all of life on earth, I butt up against uncertainty and inexplainable things every day. For an analyzer, figure-it-outer, that’s not easy. Uncertainty can = uneasiness for this girl.
But what Christ is saying is when it comes to living by Faith, uncertainty is a good thing. It’s a good thing! In Faith, there is mystery.
So lean in.
In life, when uncertainty shows it’s face, we can be comforted. We don’t need to be able to figure it out, understand what it happening, or even know that things will “work out well”. No matter what things are happening in life, Faith stands in the gaps of uncertainty.
So believe with me – choose Faith. Not by what your circumstances tell you, but by what we know through His Word. You’re loved. You’re cared for. Always. Now. Then. Forever.
