When I think reckless, I think, without care, with no thoughts for what may happen to you or to anyone else, dangerous, selfish...negative all the way. Abandonment doesn't bring about the most positive ideas either. So when Jackie proposed we abandon recklessly, I was a little perplexed. Luckily, I didn't just skim the chapter title, chalk it up to lunacy or a misprint and put the book away. Instead I delved into the chapter, mind and heart open.
By abandon, she means we need to abandon our former selves, our worldly selves, at the feet of Jesus. Ah, now I see where you're going with this. We need to leave ourselves behind, forsake our will for His will. We need to not only let go of our sinful ways, but of all that may lead us back to those ways. We won't be doing this all in vain. In place of all this, we accept God's love and the heavenly rewards He has promised us. We are accepting the gift of His forgiveness, through Christs death and resurrection.
This is not something you should ease into, inch by inch, until you're acclimated to this new lifestyle. No, you need to recklessly abandon yourself to Christ. Know that He is there for you. Know that He is God, the Father. Know that He will not leave you. Know that what He has for you is better than what the world could ever offer you. Know that when you trust in Him, He will provide for you. So leap without looking for a net, without testing the warmth of the water. Trust that He is there. He will not leave you.
Jackie defines reckless abandonment as following God with no expectations that someone or something else can fulfill you in the way that He does. We can be our own worst enemies. I know I have stood in my own way and in Gods way many a time. Our disillusionment can often keep us from giving ourselves fully to the Lord. We think a career or a hobby or a boyfriend or a husband can satiate us. None of these earthly things we'll satisfy you. Only God can bring you true and total satisfaction.
"A woman is not born a woman. Nor does she become one when she marries a man, bears a child and does their dirty linen, not even when she joins a women's liberation movement. a woman becomes a woman when she becomes what God wants her to be."
- excerpt from Learning to be a Woman
Jackie urges us to use this time of singleness as the gift it is intended to be. As a single woman, you have more time than that of a married woman. Use this time to do Gods work. Where a married woman is tending to her husbands needs, a single woman can be volunteering in the community. Where a married woman is tending to her children, a single woman can be ministering for God. Listen to what God is telling you. Go where he is urging you to go. Follow in
His plan for you, submit fully, and you will find true contentment.
No one, not even the man you will marry one day, can make you happy...only Jesus can.
- anonymous
God is the only one who can complete you...not a boyfriend, husband, child, job, money or any other earthly possession. You will never be complete without Jesus. Men and women were not created to complete eachother. No, we were made to compliment one another. A mate will not make you whole, only God can do that, but they can bring out the best in you. Completion is Jesus' responsibility - complimenting is a womans privilege. The feeling of incompleteness comes from a lack of Christ in your life, not from being single.
"I feel very strongly that marriage is not a higher calling than the single state. Happy indeed are those people, married or single, who have discovered that happiness is not found in marriage but in a right relationship with God."
- Gary Chapman
This chapter also speaks of breaking our alabaster boxes at the feet of Jesus. The alabaster box is a symbol of our worth, it is everything we are, everything we know, everything we have, everything we hold onto. Jesus is worthy of our alabaster box. He is the ONLY one worthy of it. When you break your alabaster box for Him, you are giving Him your all, so that you can follow Him with reckless abandonment.
Giving yourself fully, even to God, can be very difficult. To let go of everything and leap blindly is a true testament to your faith and to your devotion to Him. While it may not be possible to remove all sources of temptation from your life, there are ways to limit the things that may influence you. Surround yourself with people who will help you grow in Christ - not hinder that growth or stagnate it. That's not to say you cannot have any friends who are non-believers. It's important that you are in their lives so you can show them the light of Christ. Just be careful that advice you are taking from your friends is routed in His word.
He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.- Proverbs 13.20
We often mirror those who influence us. Who is influencing you? Is it someone who has a strong faith? Someone who strives to follow God's lead in their lives? Or is it someone who is self-serving? Someone who lives for the moment with no regard for Gods will in their lives?
Do not be deceived: 'Bad company corrupts good morals'-1st Corinthians 15.33
There is truth to the old saying - you are the company you keep. Your closest friends should be cheering you on in your commitment to Jesus. A good friend should be someone who encourages you to follow Gods way and someone who calls you out when you stray from the righteous path or when the choices you make are leading you to temptation.
Sometimes big changes are required to bring about spiritual growth. These changes are not always easy and can seem to be some of the most difficult things you'll ever do. You may need to stop hanging out with certain people. You may need to change your job. You may need to move. Pray and ask God what changes you need to make in your life in order to follow Him closer. Seek counsel from devout followers, believers and leaders in deciphering what He is saying to you. Often you will need to step outside your comfort zone to show reckless abandonment for Christ.
Take all the energy you use to get to know a new boyfriend, all the energy you usually use to please that boyfriend, and turn it to God. Imagine if you used that energy to learn about Him. To learn from Him. To get to know Him. How much more fulfilled would your life be? How would your life change if you took Gods will over yours (or your families, or your friends, or societies) every time? How much fuller would your life be if you took all the time you know use to pine over a significant other...or lack thereof...to fulfill Gods plans in your life?
'Marriage teaches us that even the most intimate human companionship cannot
satisfy the deepest places of the heart. Our hearts are lonely til they
rest in Him.'
-Elisabeth Elliot
Christ will give you comfort, healing, direction, purpose...if only you'll let Him. Will you let Him be your all in all?
No comments:
Post a Comment