Run Your Race

Steve Cuss hosts the “Being Human” podcast with Christianity Today, and he’s also recently published The Expectation Gap: The Tiny, Vast Space between Our Beliefs & Experience of God. It is thought-provoking reading. In chapter 7 he addresses some of our faulty assumptions about our progress in our faith. He writes:

“ASSUMPTION: We read these Bible stories multiple times and forget that many of these experiences happened only once to a particular person. We carry the pressure to live out that one story in our lives all the time. REALITY: Seeing these stories as points in time rather than for all time can help us relax into human-sized expectation…

“ASSUMPTION: One week we need to be like Peter. The next week we need to be like Mary. It all depends on what story we are reading that week. REALITY: Peter was pretty much always like Peter. Mary was very Maryesque. You are you, and I am me. We will get further in our faith if we accept our humanity than if we always strive to be someone or something we can never be… Over time, we end up stacking all of these people with all of their unique traits and examples into one fictional super-disciple that none of us will ever be and, frankly, none of them were either.”

You’ve probably experienced something like that. We hear a sermon about Mary and Martha and we think we need to spend all our time sitting at Jesus’s feet in devotion. Yet if we all did that we’d miss a lot of meals! We think we need to be like Peter when he preached fearlessly, yet there were also a number of times he stuck his foot in his mouth and once when he needed a life vest. Each of Jesus’s followers had their ups and downs, and we are no different.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote in Discipleship:

“Scripture does not present us with a collection of Christian types to be imitated according to our own choice. Rather, in every passage it proclaims to us the one Jesus Christ. It is him alone whom I ought to hear. He is one and the same everywhere” (Reader’s edition, ch. 8).

I’m reminded of the old song “Dare to Be a Daniel.” While it is true we all need courage to stand firm in our faith, we don’t need to be another Daniel or Noah or Moses. God already used them for His purposes in their own time. (Incidentally, when I was on the last hymnal committee for my denomination, I strongly suggested that Rahab should not be included in the list of possible names to use in that song, as she was in one hymnal.)

What we need is not another Billy Graham. We simply need each believer to faithfully follow our Lord’s leading in whatever path He sets before us: pastor, teacher, missionary, spouse, parent, manager, employee, author, artist, accountant, secretary, mechanic, or any other role you may have.

This subject recurs in my writing occasionally, and that’s probably because I’ve spent so much of my life trying to be someone I’m not. God has to remind me periodically that I am exactly who He made me to be, and He never expects me to be someone else. With that I will be content (at least until the next time I get distracted).

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [from Bible times till now], let us also lay aside every weight [and false assumptions], and sin which clings to closely, and let us [each] run with endurance the race that is set before us [not someone else’s race]” (Heb. 12:1).

© 2024 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Not My Strength

I Prayed and Nothing Changed is a new book by Ste Casey. Part of the book focuses on the Apostle Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 12:

“So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three time I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (vv. 7-9).

Casey makes the point that whatever Paul’s thorn was, it was given to him by God for the purpose of keeping him humble. It seems that the thorn (or “stake”) was specifically suited for Paul’s temperament, to keep him reliant upon God.

When we face trials and difficulties, we can often forget that God is still in control. Satan could not touch Job without God’s permission (Job 1-2), and the same is true for us. We may also forget that God uses all things for the good purpose of conforming us to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:28-29). If those truths were always solidly planted in our hearts, we’d probably find it easier to “give thanks in all circumstances, [remembering that] this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18).

It is hard to accept and remember that our specific trials are those that God knows will best suit His purposes in our lives. I’ve often thought “If I just had that particular problem, I could handle it easily.” That’s probably why I have to deal with different challenges instead. Successfully handling something in my own strength is only going to lead to pride. But having to rely on God to uphold me day by day makes me remember that it is His strength that is perfect, not mine.

Modern culture tells us we aren’t supposed to be weak, dependent, or (heaven forbid!) uncomfortable. But that is not how God’s kingdom operates. Casey writes:

“We learn from Paul that in the kingdom of the crucified and risen Lord, surrender is success, weakness is strength, and humility is greatness. There is no joy without pain, no victory without wounds, and no wealth without loss” (ch. 1).

When we go through seasons, or a lifetime, of struggle in some area, may we cling to the truths that 1) God is good, 2) He is fully aware of what we’re dealing with, 3) He has permitted it in our lives, and 4) He will use it for our good and His glory. Therefore, we can rest in His sustaining power and give thanks.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Is. 41:10).

© 2024 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Who's In?

I’ve been catching up on episodes of The Chosen, and just watched the season 4 episode “The Last Sign.” In that episode in particular, there are various conversations between the disciples as they wonder, “Did you expect things to go this way?” Each one came with different expectations. You can almost feel sorry for Judas as he tries to push things in the way he thinks they are supposed to go, because he’s got a particular idea of what the Messiah is supposed to do. And for all the disciples, the death of Lazarus seemed like an anomaly. And then when Jesus raised him from the dead the question arose why Lazarus raised and not others they had loved and lost. I suspect we all have times when we want to say, “This isn’t what I signed up for!”

In a recent episode of the Being Human podcast, Steve Cuss interviewed Beth Moore. Towards the end he comments on the fact that she felt a strong call to ministry when she was really young, but she never imagined that she would have a ministry of trauma healing and helping those who battle mental illness. Beth says, “We would no more have signed up for the ministries He ends up calling us to than anything. And yet, when all is said and done, these have been the things that mattered most.”

Beth went on to mention the man born blind in John 9. When the disciples ask whose fault it was that the man was blind, Jesus responds, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him” (v. 3). Perhaps his whole life he’d wondered why he had to deal with this particular form of suffering. Maybe he had sought out healers in the past and been disappointed. But then Jesus came along and healed him—so that God’s work might be displayed in him. It doesn’t take long for the man to start proclaiming that Jesus is a prophet (v. 17).

What things make you wonder “Why is this part of my life?” Maybe it’s a physical problem, an emotional challenge, or relationship issues. It could be just about anything. Have you ever considered how God might use it for His glory? It may be something as simple as your testimony of God’s sustaining you through dark times. You are the only one who can share your particular testimony, and it may help someone who is experiencing trials of their own.

Sometimes in the church we may give people the impression that following Jesus makes life easy and doubt-free. I think we do a disservice to our young people especially when we don’t share the struggles we face at all stages of life, even when we are faithfully serving God. Rebecca Olson wrote in A New Normal: Learning to Thrive in Suffering:

“Your response to a shipwrecked life may draw more of the right kind of attention to God than a lifetime of smooth sailing. Your commitment to honor God even in your doubt and confusion can prove to a watching world that God is worth following... Furthermore, not only does your steadfast commitment to Christ present a compelling witness to unbelievers, but your perspective on your own suffering emboldens other believers (see 2Co 11).”

In my many miles of trail hiking and running, I’ve realized that the narrower the trail is, the more twists, turns, bumps, and roots there are to trip over. Wide trails make it easier to speed along without concerns. Jesus said the wide path is easy, but it leads to destruction. “The gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:14). He never promised an easy life or smooth sailing for those who follow Him. But He did promise that He’d be with us through the hills and valleys and every bump and turn of the trail.

When we come to those times of wondering what in the world God is up to, and we’re tempted to say “This isn’t what I thought I was signing up for,” we can return again and again to the words of Peter, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). We probably brought some misconceptions with us when we decided to follow Jesus, and we’ve all faced detours that took us in directions we weren’t prepared to go. But in the end, there is only One who can redeem all our trials and use them for our eternal good and His glory. Why would we turn away now?

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Rom. 5:3-4).

© 2024 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

What Do You Want?

In John 5 Jesus went by the Pool of Bethesda, where supposedly an angel occasionally stirred the water and the first person to enter the pool would be healed. There He encountered a man who had been an invalid for 38 years. Jesus asks him, “Do you wanted to be healed?” Some translations phrase it, “Do you want to get well?” The man responds, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me” (v. 7). I’ve heard this interpreted as the man making excuses and not really desiring healing. This reading makes Jesus’s question almost a rebuke— “Do you really want to get well, or are you just laying around?”

I’ve seen this interpretation enough times that it’s hard not to read the passage with that tone of voice. But I don’t think that’s how we ought to hear it. For one thing, Jesus immediately healed the man, and apparently didn’t heal anyone else at the pool that day. Jesus knew the what was in the hearts of those He met (John 2:25), so He certainly would have known if the man had hidden motives. Besides which, Jesus didn’t make anyone justify their worthiness to be healed, whether they came looking for help or not. None of us are worthy of God’s intervention in our lives.

Instead, I believe Jesus looked at the man with great compassion and His question was intended to let the man give voice to his helplessness and hopelessness. Who among us wouldn’t lose hope after 38 years in bed? Did he shed a tear each time he missed out on getting into the pool, or had he managed to convince himself it wasn’t such a big deal?

If you’ve dealt with any kind of recurring or unremitting suffering, the last thing you need is some kind of guilt trip like “If you really wanted to be well, you’d find a way” or “If you had enough faith you’d be healed.” That is one of the lies of the prosperity gospel and groups like the Christian Scientists. In contrast, J. C. Ryle wrote:

“Affliction is one of God’s medicines. By it He often teaches lessons which would be learned in no other way. By it He often draws souls away from sin and the world, which would otherwise have perished everlastingly. Health is a great blessing, but sanctified disease is a greater. Prosperity and worldly comfort are what all naturally desire; but losses and crosses are far better for us, if they lead us to Christ. Thousands at the last day, will testify with David, and the nobleman before us, ‘It is good for me that I have been afflicted.’ (Psalms 119:71).”

If we are completely comfortable and content with this life, we are likely not longing for the new life to come. And if we are not eagerly awaiting the blessed hope of Jesus’s return, we probably aren’t focused on living as citizens of His kingdom or sharing the good news that this world is not the goal or end of the story. Affliction can remind us where our priorities ought to be. A few decades of suffering might seem interminable now, but one day we’ll look back and realize that was nothing compared to the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord” (Phil. 3:8).

“For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor. 4:17-18).

© 2024 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.