Here I am. Late to the game. Yesterday, so many people were posting on social
media about what they want to do first when the Safer at Home order is released. Many wanted chips and queso, some said see my grand kids and hug them, others want Starbucks. To all of those ideas I say, "YES!" But, frankly, I haven't begun to thing about the "when." I am still looking at what I am doing now. I am settling in, creating a routine, crafting new ways to connect, conceiving all the ways this can be a good thing to do in this time.
This morning as I studied, I decided to move on to 1 Peter. I like the letters of Peter. They speak a lot about the love of God, shown through the redemption in us by Christ. Peter was writing to new Christians that has been driven out of Jerusalem and were hiding out throughout Asia Minor. Basically, they were social distancing to keep themselves alive.
In the greeting of his first letter, Peter uses a word that is probably foreign to the disciple that usually spoke and acted before he thought. He says, "prepare." (1 Peter 1:13-15) Peter is urging these people, hiding their homes, to think about the day when they will be free to move. He encourages them to be ready for the day when the world sees Christ alive in them. Basically, "You will be out in the world again, soon. What will people see in you? A new life or the life you had before all of this?"
Prepare - What am I doing to prepare in this season. Am I using my extra time to only binge watch old episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras (#sorrynotsorry)? Or am I, in addition to tiny little girls dressed up like miniature Barbies, am I preparing for what people will see in me?
An article I read said we are in the midst of a spiritual reawakening. More people are reading the Bible, watching worship service online/television. and are seeking Christ to fill their time. I agree. More people are engaged in serving their neighbors and communities in new and different ways. I have to say, I have seen this first hand in my friends.
But what if this is being used in a way to prepare us for what we will do when we don't have to look for things to do? What if we emerge living a new way of life? We should be gaining a better understanding of needs vs. wants. Maybe we learn to live a little less occupied by things that are recreational and spend more time on activities that are a little more formational. That is what Peter was speaking to, well, in the terms of first century Christianity. Most of us are cooks, or athletes or business people or parents. We understand the concept of preparation for what we need to do in our life. Let's put that part of our muscle memory to use in a different way. Let's create, conceive and craft a new mind, a new way to be, a new witness to the world.
Today:
This morning as I studied, I decided to move on to 1 Peter. I like the letters of Peter. They speak a lot about the love of God, shown through the redemption in us by Christ. Peter was writing to new Christians that has been driven out of Jerusalem and were hiding out throughout Asia Minor. Basically, they were social distancing to keep themselves alive.
In the greeting of his first letter, Peter uses a word that is probably foreign to the disciple that usually spoke and acted before he thought. He says, "prepare." (1 Peter 1:13-15) Peter is urging these people, hiding their homes, to think about the day when they will be free to move. He encourages them to be ready for the day when the world sees Christ alive in them. Basically, "You will be out in the world again, soon. What will people see in you? A new life or the life you had before all of this?"
An article I read said we are in the midst of a spiritual reawakening. More people are reading the Bible, watching worship service online/television. and are seeking Christ to fill their time. I agree. More people are engaged in serving their neighbors and communities in new and different ways. I have to say, I have seen this first hand in my friends.
But what if this is being used in a way to prepare us for what we will do when we don't have to look for things to do? What if we emerge living a new way of life? We should be gaining a better understanding of needs vs. wants. Maybe we learn to live a little less occupied by things that are recreational and spend more time on activities that are a little more formational. That is what Peter was speaking to, well, in the terms of first century Christianity. Most of us are cooks, or athletes or business people or parents. We understand the concept of preparation for what we need to do in our life. Let's put that part of our muscle memory to use in a different way. Let's create, conceive and craft a new mind, a new way to be, a new witness to the world.
Today:
- Weigh all you do in light of the question, "How does this prepare me for the world post pandemic?"
- Create something today.
- Visualize the world later in the light of Christ.
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