I was reading through an old journal this morning. I was struggling with finding God, with connecting with God, with just being with Him. I have kind of been in that season lately. Not far from God, but just a little off beat. Almost like I am missing what He has for me in this season. And that is natural. I am going through a lot of changes and trying to find my way in a whole new home. So, yes I give myself grace, but yes, I also am still praying and still seeking God for more. For more of Him. As I was reading my journal, I found something I wrote almost a year ago. I had read John 8:31-59. And what I wrote then, it still very much so applies now. Maybe even more so.
In these verses, Jesus is preaching to the Jews about truth, about Him and how He has come here from God. He ends with claiming that He is not here to glorify himself, but rather glorify His Father. (Seems like that could be a good post for another day.) He is here to do the will of God. And as I read this a year ago I was struck with the frustration that I would have had if I was the one that had to keep explaining to these people. I just think of how frustrated I get when I repeat directions 183763 times and still get asked, “What do I do?” Anyways. He does keep explaining, with a lot of grace and calmness, and He does so in such a way that would be hard to understand. He is speaking of being free, never seeing death, demons, being slaves to sin, etc. If I was hearing that, I would have been lost to. I would have questioned Him too. And as Jesus said, these people, they weren’t hearing him.
Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. John 8:43
These people were stuck looking to themselves, believing and trusting in themselves. So much so that what Jesus had to say, they couldn’t hear it or comprehend it. These people were too self-focused to hear what Jesus truly had to say.
When the noise around us is so loud, when we get caught in the grind; when we get too focused on our own lives; we too cannot hear Jesus. We miss what He has for us. We lose sight of Him in the business of our own lives. We try to find answers outside of Him, answers from this world. And, they might be found. We might find ways to reduce our stress, lose weight quickly, or find happiness in our circumstance. But, those answers, they are fleeting. They don’t last forever. And we get caught in this constant cycle of feeling stuck and finding ways to help ourselves, free ourselves.
But, the truth is…unless we put Jesus first, bring Him into the conversation, and center our lives on who He is, well, then we will just be like the Jews from these verses in John. We will be slaves to sin, disobeying God, belonging to the devil. Letting the evil one win over our minds, bodies, and souls. It’s a harsh reality. But, as Jesus said, it is the truth. He also said this:
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
The answer to our struggles is closer than we may think. Life will never be easy, but with Jesus, the heaviness is lifted. We learn what true peace is, we feel joy, and we know what it means to be loved. We become free from the darkness when we start walking in the light. Grounding ourselves in who God is and centering our lives on Jesus.
We know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. This is how love is made perfect in us: that we can be without fear on the day God judges us, because in this world we are like him. 1 John 4:17-17
Love and blessings,
Radical Road 