“Come and See”
An article by Cindy Brandt[1] that I read a few weeks ago reminded me that when Jesus called his disciples, he said to them, “come and see.” He invited them to experience what he was offering. He held out a promise, a potential that they could taste and feel. And, obviously, when they did “come and see,” they stayed for the whole journey. I can only imagine what they experienced of Jesus and of themselves as they went; but if their experience was anything like mine, then each step of the journey would have been self-affirming, self-revealing, with one’s interest piqued enough to see what the next step would reveal and then finally hooked on the adventure of living fully without knowing where one was going.
Have you answered that invitation from the Lord? Have you come along with him to see where he would take you? Have you said “yes!” to all he offers you? Or are you picking and choosing which ideas you’ll adopt? Have you dropped your objections to what he puts before you? Have you lived the adventure of not being able to see one day, much less one minute, ahead of you? Have you learned to love yourself as you are? Have you learned to love God with all of who you are? Have you acquired the fruit of the Spirit, the end product of totally turning your life over to God? Can you live and love with the whole of who you are—see your struggles and challenges as lessons to be learned, embraced, shared?
Come and see…It’s an invitation to discover your gifts and how God would use them. It’s an invitation to live in the kingdom, to help bring in the kingdom here on this earth. It’s an invitation to live in the arms of Love, to be transformed, to be stripped of all that stands between you and God. It’s an invitation to experience life fully.
Come and see…See the person before you, see his struggles, see her gifts, see Christ in him or her. See them as a close relative of yours, another child of God, made in his image. Acknowledge their pain. See their choices as maybe regrettable, but the only choice they could make at the time. See them with love.
Come and see…See God in every leaf, flower, rock, star, person. See his hand in all creation. See his interest in detail and variety. See how very creative he has been and continues to be. See the breadth and scope of the universe and then maybe other universes. See the many shades of green, the differences in the clouds, the waters that soothe us and nourish us and cleanse us, too. See how intimate he is with us and how mysterious is his presence at the same time. Experience God in everything that happens, in everything that is.
Come and see…what God sees in you. Your potential, your gifts and talents and interests and challenges, see what God would make of them, how he would use all of who you are—warts and all. See what Love makes of you. Are you just another grain of sand on the beach indistinguishable from any other grain doing its part making up a beautiful whole? Or are you essential to God’s plan, one of thousands or even millions who have the potential to express themselves in love and gratitude?
Come and see…what life can be when it is lived fully, when you are fully engaged, when you are a part of the miracle of life, when you are giving all of yourself. When you are love, peace, joy and all the rest.
Come and see…all that is, all that you can be. Live in the present with the Presence of God—come and see what that is like. Come and see and live.
[1] sojo.net/blogs/2014/05/27/are-we-preaching-gospel-inadequacy
Questions to ponder over the week: Will you answer the invitation, setting aside all objections? Will you allow God to meet your needs? Or will you still be in charge? Will you go, like Ruth followed Naomi, “Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge.”[Ruth 1:16 NSRV] Will you step forward totally trusting Christ to come and see what he has in store for you?
______
Find me on YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=by+the+waters+Pat+Adams
Or
read more about my own journey on the home page at bythewaters.net: “A Cocoon”