Just Jesus and me – But is that enough?

Just Jesus and me – but is that enough?

Good question that. Recently I confessed to a dear friend who is battling cancer that I was having trouble completely forgiving somebody who has deeply wounded a family member. She sternly reminded me that I had to get over it and move on, reminding me that it was just Jesus and her now – and that was all that was important. Her statement deeply impacted me, as I did constantly forgive this person until the next instalment of his wrongdoings which have had such a devastating impact on those I love. However, I’m doing better at that – after all if we don’t forgive, its like drinking poison and hoping the other person will die We need to let it go, leave it there (over and over if necessary) and move on into letting God manage that person and their actions.

However, this blog which has been bubbling away for a long time is not so much about forgiveness, as about how we are now to live our new stripped back, pared to the bone lives. Our new normal, if I can call it that means we will never go back to pre March 2020 when a little known virus changed the way we live, think, travel and worship. Sneaking in the back door it seemed to be an insignificant flu type virus until we started to see results

world wide. Christians split into two schools of thought – the conspiracy theorist anti vaxxers versus the obedient ‘unthinking sheep’ who allowed that government to infiltrate their bodies with a toxic brew. Now I will willingly admit I was a bit nervous about being vaccinated, but felt it was the right thing to do, but I was not ready for the scathing contempt of those who chose not to vaccinate. The pitying and often smug looks. Youtube videos, messages and unauthenticated links infiltrated my social media. I felt besieged, and saddened that a divide was so apparent between the vaxxed and un-vaxxed – when we are all disciples of Jesus.

But I want to boldly state here that I am aware that our world is in perilous times. A one world money system seems to be on the cards, governments are mandating our freedom to worship and so many other questionable events are happening. So, I am aware of it, concerned and praying about it all – and how to negotiate the times ahead, But I don’t want to be soaking in it – marinating in it day and night. I hate the ‘us and them’ divide. I hate that I cannot have unvaxxed people in my home or I will get fined (at this present time). I hate that there are friends who cannot visit their families interstate. I don’t love masks and QR codes, but I will do  what is necessary to bring our world back into a more liveable realm. However I do not have my head buried in the sand, I am aware of what is going on in our world. 

Personally, this last year has been crazy on many levels. Covid for one, a family member escaping from Domestic Violence, my hip breaking in a fall and six weeks recovery, euthanising my dear twenty year old cat and just recently going through a severe hail storm which damaged my car. However, something wonderful happened against that backdrop of horrible events. I felt and knew the love and provision of God through his people. Whilst in recovery mode I had meals provided, financial blessings, cleaning done, transport and company. I was SO blessed by the love of my friends and family. Friends rallied around when my cat Gracie died, leaving a huge sadness in me, but I got through because I felt loved by God and his family. Then the hail storms that affected so many in our local community arrived out of a black sky.  Friends had severe damage to property and vehicles, but somehow we all got through it with Covid numbers still dominating the news.  But, I have lived and experienced such blessing because in the end – it is and always will be ‘just Jesus and me’. Now that does not mean that we stay in an insular little bubble of self protection, but instead it creates a launching pad from which we can dispense love and kindness to those around us. 

Sometimes just a smile, being kind, paying it forward, a word in season to the more practical helping others out in a useful way if possible – or to encourage someone with a heaven sent word of comfort. We are the hands and feet of Jesus. We are here to share his love and hope to the world. We are not here to coerce people with fear tactics about the perils of the vaccine. Let’s be prepared to think differently and not be at enmity over this. Unvaxxed people – please don’t treat us ‘vaxxed ‘ people like mindless idiots. We are not sheep. We made the best decision we felt for our bodies, families and community. In return, I trust that we ‘vaxxed’  people will steer clear of criticism and ‘othering’ those who have for various reasons chosen to be unvaccinated. In the end, we who love Jesus all belong to Jesus. He hates division and strife. It is totally ‘anti’ gospel’. Let’s spread the gospel of Jesus and not conspiracy theories. So I will leave you with the words of my dear friend. “Just Jesus and me”. But don’t stop there. Let’s use it as our sounding board for compassionate and non judgemental interactions with our friends, family and community. 

1 Corinthians 1:10 “ I appeal to you brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in ind and thought” 

So please don’t let us be divided, please love like Jesus would have us do, and put our own personal agendas aside, leaving all of our destinies in the hand of a loving God. As Corrie Ten Boom wrote ‘ leaving our unknown futures in the hands of a ‘known’ God’. Don’t be afraid. Trust in the goodness of God. Love others, share the gospel and his peace will carry us all through the days ahead. 

Life in the shadow of Covid

Life in the shadow of Covid

We live in sobering times. We have found out for sure that ‘we’ are not the boss of the world. ‘We’ do not call the shots. Indeed, the collective ‘we’ of humanity has slipped into a new era of time. The time of Covid 19.

“It’s just the flu” a few said. Others linked it to conspiracy theories about it being caused by 5G. Other theories abounded against a backdrop of ‘The Black Lives Matter’ campaigns which thronged our cities. CIvil unrest. Those haunting media shots of mass graves and white garbed medical staff loading bodies into refrigerated trucks. Nations blamed each other for their handling of the rapid spread of the virus. Many died, and many are dying still. The world is united for once in its combined race to find a vaccine against a threat which is as insidious as it is invisible. And we are in our puny humanity once again are reminded that we are not the boss of the world.

However it is not all gloom and doom. Although churches cannot meet yet, his people have found a way to fellowship in small groups while watching church online. And for one of the first times in our lives, we cannot rely on that ‘Sunday hit’ from our pastor to lift us up to carry us through the week. Instead it has been a time to dig deep and delve into nurturing our own spiritual health. I for one am spending more time in worship, prayer and bible reading than before. With less distractions and ‘have to’s’ and obligations to meet life has become simpler and quieter. Being in constant communion with Jesus, sensing the peace the Holy Spirit brings and sheltering in the promises of Psalm 91 remind me that God is still in charge.

As we become more responsible for maintaining and growing our own spiritual health we are able to encourage others to do the same. Those who often need counselling and to be held up by others can learn how to seek God for their own growth, building their own foundations in the salvation of Jesus and growing their faith in reading and studying his word. We can fellowship online, we can phone, chat in small groups (while maintaining social distancing) we can pray with and for each other, we can uphold our nation leaders in prayer and we can put our hand in the hands of a mighty God knowing he is able to keep us safe.

So if we are not the boss, then who is? I would declare that God is the boss. He created our world and our universe for us to live in as his beloved children. But he gave us free will. Free will to choose him or deny him. Free will to do it our way, or his way. Most chose and still choose their own way. But motivated by an innate desire for pleasing our desires releases a maelstrom of darkness into our world. Not because most people are bent on evil and destruction, but because the absence of God in their lives promotes decisions and actions which reap darkness. Collectively, when this darkness overbalances the light of those who follow God, the scales tip and our world falls into the chaos of sin.

But God knew all of this well in advance when he created us. He knew that many would choose the pursuit of ‘self’ and pleasure instead of choosing him. He is the light in the darkness. His light still shines and we can share it with others who are willing to listen. Choose light so you may live.

John 8: 12 Then Jesus said, “I am light to the world and those who embrace me will experience life-giving light, and they will never walk in darkness.” Embrace that light, let the fear go and enjoy the peace that knowing and loving him brings. Share the light with others so we send away the darkness. It only takes one little candle in the darkest of rooms to dispel the shadows of night completely. Choose light.