Defining moments…

As my wife has amazingly pointed out about a billion times... I had the opportunity today to look back at some of the most painful experiences I have ever had and it was GOOD. Not just the looking back but the things I have always thought awful were indeed good.  I found that the most difficult and painful things to go through proved to be the best opportunity to grow. I would not be who I am today if I didn’t have the opportunity to seek Jesus in the face of awful realities. My wounds, scars, screw ups, and the things that have just run me over are grace to me. These experiences have shaped me and how I view others… they keep me looking for the bigger picture and they keep me from loving too little to fight for life.

Much of my journey has been moving me away from “Gospels of Sin Management” and toward the “Gospel of life”. I learned very clearly from my family that there are some sin’s that can’t be managed through desire to not do them and the rest are not best subverted with that tactic. “The Gospel of life” as I would define it says the wages of sin is death and Jesus wants us to live.  Sin isn’t dealt with by a fight to not sin; it’s dealt with by fighting to live fully. (I believe Jesus defines what that is, not me) This doesn’t mean I put myself in stupid situations where sin is ignored and I am free to be evil . . .  It means that I am seeking the best kind of life… For example the sin of adultery isn’t best subverted efforts to not have an affair… It is best subverted and the most good comes when I pour my energies into my marriage . . . seeking life. It means I am fiercely aware that everything around me wants to kill that life and I need to take steps to protect it. In the art of war Sun Tzu basically says if you are trying to hold a city (you stop attacking) that is when you can be overtaken. An attacking army is aware of the danger and protects its flanks but it’s also aware of the goal.  Jesus is the source of life… I am simply fighting to stay in line with who I was created to be.   

So why would I go this direction with a post about how good the terrible things were… I’m not sure…

Question

What ways am I trying to be a good person where I should really be asking about a bigger picture?

-these verses popped into my mind as I was I thinking this through…

Romans 6:22-23 & Mathew 10:37-39

I don’t have space to do a full kingdom theology break down and I don’t really want to not what this blog is for.

** Heather and I are doing great, the above was for illustration purposes.