draw deeply

karis. sweet karis. =)

i am constantly being reminded this week about the necessity of drawing deeply upon God's grace. it is essential to living a life in which my soul is rested. i profess with confidence that there is a vast difference between simply resting and soul resting. anyone can take a nap... and yes, a nap is sometimes exactly what one needs!!! and yet, you can take all the naps in the world and never find rest for your soul. that can only be done by sitting with the Father... =) and... drawing upon the grace He so readily offers. that in itself makes God worthy of praise.

this week, i've been speaking with my high schoolers about the ministry of reconciliation. ah, how they have struggled with the call God has given them as ministers. =) they are sweet in their pursuit of understanding and can become so frustrated at their lack of ability to fulfill some of these seemingly lofty commands. again... we must draw deeply on his grace. last night as we opened His Word... we read in 2 Corinthians 5 that God has given us this "ministry of reconciliation" and He defines it as "not counting men's sins against them." when stacy brought this passage to my attention this week, i was reminded of the insane call to live life "other," to live life "different," to live life "set apart," in effort to live the Gospel and proclaim it to the nations. and then... as i brought the same passage before my students.... well... we wrestled.

God is "other"... He is "uncommon"... and how desperately we want to know Him and so we are in this constant battle to try and conform Him to our worlds, our ways, our common molds... and He simply will never fit there. instead... He says.... come to me... and i will give you rest. He says... draw deeply upon my grace and you'll experience me. and then... as an overflow... it will become your joy to be ministers of this Gospel... of this "other-ness."

so, to my students...
you are in Christ. His grace is presently available for you to draw deeply upon. i have seen you live the Gospel in very intentional ways. now... go... and seek to be obedient to this charge in 2 corinthians. seek to become a minister of reconciliation. cling to the promise that He is with you... and as you go... choose to not count men's sins against you. oh, i know how diffifult it is! trust that i know the struggle! but... what i see in you is Him. pure and simple, you've chosen to live "other" to live "uncommon"... so may your thoughts, your actions, your attitude, and your words seek to be aligned with the way you've chosen to live your life. be people who breathe grace.

and draw deeply.
i love you. =)