Midday Connection's Melinda Schmidt hosted "Illuminations on Becoming Yourself," the end session of a series on encountering Jesus, led by Jane Rubietta back in March and I've always wanted to go back and highlight a few things that I really appreciated. Jane reminds us "as you read through the encounters women had with Jesus, put yourself in their place, try to feel the emotion and surroundings." We're looking at Matthew 28 --the two Mary's in the Garden right at the time of Jesus' resurrection. I'm going to share their insights with you, none of the following is original work from me, it all comes from the ladies, but is my interpretation, which I pray I haven't misconstrued. Any errors are my own.
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Fear is going to be a part of our lives, there will always be brokenness in us and around us. In this example, the women had fear and joy together. They were women - people with no rights in that day, they found an empty grave and had doubts and confusion -- perhaps a fear that God failed them, that maybe God is not big enough for this, then Jesus revealed himself to them, (trusted His story with mere women!). As they got closer to Jesus, the fear left. (As they got closer to Jesus, the fear left. Think about that.)
- How would your life look if you weren't afraid?
- What do you think you would be if you weren't afraid?
- What does fear have to do with becoming ourselves?
- How would your life be different if you didn't have fear?
- Do you have a fear that underneath it all you aren't enough?
- A fear that being yourself isn't good enough?
What are you fearing?
- What's going to happen next?
- What's my life going to be like?
- Will I have a job next week?
- Will I have a husband next week?
- Is there enough to hold me together?
- Not being able to provide for your family?
- Not being good enough?
- That God is not big enough?
- Disapproval
- Failure
- Feeling Unworthy
Purpose. We all want to believe that our life makes a difference, that it matters, yet fear keeps us from living that out. The truth of it is our lives do matter, every single life is vital, important to God, God-breathed.
Examine your fears:
- What triggers your fears and keeps you from being who you are meant to be?
- Where did that come from?
- Whose voice are you hearing?
- What incident triggered this?
- What are you using as a measuring stick?
- Is pride a problem?
What have you lost because of this fear?
One facebooker responded that she has lost "so much of my hard fought independence."
Try to write it down, get it outside of you.
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What does your fear do to you?
- Paralyzes you
- Makes you expect "death" though Jesus offers life, you expect the worst, expect failure
- Makes you doubt who He is and His promises
- Steals your "abundant" life
- Oppresses you - you feel like you "don't measure up"
What does your fear do for you?
- Keeps you from having to risk
- Keeps you from having to trust
- Keeps you from going deep in relationships
- Lets you stay where you are and not launch out in faith
- Lets you not worry about failure and the judgment that comes from that
- Releases you from your "list of rules" for living - II Cor. 3:6, the rules kill, the spirit gives life
Take your fear to the worst-possible scenario and diffuse it.
- What if it comes true, what happens?
- God will be there in the worst case.
If you weren't afraid...... who would you be?
How?
How can you overcome fear?
II Corinthians 3:6 - 18 Paul is comparing Christ to Moses. Moses is radiant from being in God's presence, but he has to wear a veil to protect people from the radiance. Since Christ came, you and I don't have to wear a veil. We all reflect God's glory. Believers in Christ are re-gened, a new creation. Death is gone, life is here. It's not about the rules or a law-filled life, it's about a Spirit-filled life. Do you really feel like you're living a new life?
Right after Matt. 28 and this scene with the women, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit, the magnificent key to a spirit-filled life rather than a fear-filled life.
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Ask yourself daily: whose expectations are you trying to meet in terms of your behavior?
- Yourself?
- Other voices? Who's voices?
- Who's voice will you listen to?
After you review some of these questions, observe, take note of where you overcome fear. Where are you seeing transformation in your life? More and more we should be looking like Jesus. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, liberty, but above all there should be transformation, we should be looking more and more like Him. II Cor. 3:17,18
He gave us the job of just loving people to Him. To summarize the series, becoming yourself really becomes less about your impact and more about love; your impetus everyday is to just love like Jesus did. Your prayer each day, "Lord, can you love people through me today?"
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Once again, big thanks to Midday Connection, a Moody ministry and thanks to Jane Rubietta.
1 comment:
As they got closer to Jesus, the fear left ... I like that.
What I like more, however, is this: He gave us the job of just loving people to Him ... becoming yourself really becomes less about your impact and more about love; your impetus everyday is to just love like Jesus did. Your prayer each day, "Lord, can you love people through me today?"
Very nicely done.
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